Will udon spread in India?
Feb 24 17:08
Sanuki udon boasts a deep-rooted popularity for its unique chewiness.
Currently, there is an active movement to sell overseas.
One of our targets is India, which has a rapidly growing population.
Is it possible to spread udon in India, which is said to have no unique noodle culture?
Chased the challenge.
(Takamatsu Broadcasting Station Reporter Miho Tomioka / New Delhi Bureau)
Curry Udon How is it rated in India?
Gurgaon is an emerging city adjacent to India's capital, New Delhi.
It is a city with remarkable economic growth where many foreign-affiliated companies have expanded.
In mid-January, a Japanese food tasting party was held at a Japanese restaurant in a large commercial facility in the city center, inviting local people.
What was served was the familiar "curry udon" in Japan.
It was created by a noodle-making company headquartered in Kagawa Prefecture that produces dried and semi-raw noodles.
“India, with over 1.4 billion people, is a very attractive market.”
Mr. Masakuni Ishimaru, the sales manager who came from Japan, said this.
This time, for the first time, we held an udon tasting party in order to enter the Indian market, which is expected to surpass China in population and become the world's largest.
The curry was provided by a major Japanese curry chain that entered the local market three years ago by “re-importing” Japanese curry.
How did the locals evaluate “curry udon”, which is a combination of Sanuki udon and Japanese curry?
"The noodles I've eaten so far have been dry, but the udon noodles I ate today are more chewy and have a nice texture. I like it very much"
We were able to get a reasonable high evaluation from the restaurant managers and businessmen who attended.
There are also unexpected voices in the boasted "Koshi"
However, in the next menu, I was faced with an unexpected reaction.
The menu is noodles that are just tightened with water after being boiled once.
Mr. Ishimaru also wanted to sell Sanuki udon noodles in India.
The idea was to have people directly taste the chewiness of the noodles, which can be said to be the lifeline of Sanuki udon, in a way similar to "zaru udon" in Japan.
But from the attendees...
"It has an al dente consistency. It can be misleading if not cooked enough."
In India, there is no custom of eating noodles chilled, so even though they are boiled, eating noodles that have just been soaked in cold water may be perceived as akin to eating them raw.
In the first place, is there a culture of eating noodles in India?
According to experts familiar with Indian food culture, there is no unique culture of eating noodles, but along with economic development, the influx of foreign food culture is progressing.
For example, it is said that Chinese cuisine, which uses noodles similar to udon and is eaten stir-fried with vegetables, has been accepted by a wide range of people.
Based on this situation, Mr. Ishimaru decided to sell Sanuki udon to young people in big cities.
After the tasting party, I visited various places in the capital, New Delhi, to find out how people reacted.
At one hotel, I was unfamiliar with how to eat it with soup, so I received a proposal to sell it by selling it in a way like ``yaki udon'' where you fry it with ingredients.
Also, at a certain culinary school, when the noodles were soaked in water and served with soy sauce, one of the students commented, ``Wouldn't it be acceptable if it was mixed with Indian-derived seasonings?'' is.
Sales Manager Masakuni Ishimaru
: “In India, I felt that the 'koshi' of noodles has not yet been fully accepted. As for the rest, India is a very attractive market, so I would like to create and deliver products that suit the people there.”
How are you doing in India?
According to the survey conducted in India, various opinions were expressed within the company.
``If there is resistance to the unique ``kosi'' texture, it is necessary to present a way of eating that is easy to accept locally, such as hot udon.'
' It took 10 years for the cold noodles to be accepted when we exported them.
Based on these opinions, the company is considering adopting cooking methods such as pasta-style udon dishes, and boiled and drained kamaage udon noodles with curry.
We would like to strengthen our collaboration with another company that sells Japanese food in India, mainly in urban areas, and try to start trial sales in India by the end of this year.
Expansion of udon consumption through overseas expansion
Such a movement aiming at overseas expansion of Sanuki udon.
Behind this is a strong sense of crisis faced by businesses and governments.
The noodles served at this tasting event used the original wheat "Sanuki no Yume" developed by Kagawa Prefecture for udon noodles.
It is characterized by a strong flavor that goes through the nose, and the production is gradually expanding.
However, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "household budget survey," the annual amount spent on eating out for "Japanese soba and udon" in Takamatsu City has decreased by about 12% in the two years since the spread of the new coronavirus.
In the first year of Reiwa, it was 14,792 yen per household, but in the third year of Reiwa, it decreased to 13,077 yen.
Of course, it also affected the consumption of "Sanuki no Yume", and the desired purchase amount of the merchant was about 30% of the peak.
Many millers found themselves in inventory.
Wheat producers are saying, ``If consumption continues to be sluggish, we will have no choice but to reduce production.''
Kagawa Prefecture is also using national projects to support the export movement of businesses, and this company's efforts are part of that.
Sanuki udon can be said to be the soul food of Kagawa residents.
Can it be established in regions with different food cultures?
Not only in the prefecture but also many people concerned are paying attention to future developments.
Takamatsu Broadcasting Station Reporter
Miho Tomioka
Joined in 2019
After covering the police and judiciary,
she was in charge of Kagawa prefectural politics and elections.