Itaria Black Yakisoba

Burakku Yakisoba is a type of Yakisoba that used squid-ink and Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture has its own variation of the B-class gourmet food that was developed by the Itoigawa Umaimonkai (糸魚川うまいもん会). The idea for the dish was Chef Hironori Tsukioka 月岡浩徳さん of Gettoku Hanten where he thought about his mothers dish “Squid Tsutsuyaki” a stuffed squid dish of bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and grilled with sweet and salty miso. Itoigawa Yakisoba traditionally made the dish to use chinese-noodles, squid-ink, and use local Itoigawa squid which follows the season chart. Winter Yariika “Arrow Squid”, Spring Hotaruika “Firefly Squid”, Fall Aoriika “Bigfin Reef Squid”, Kouika Cuttlefish, and Year-round Maika “True Squid”. 

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The dish was decidedly developed for the reason that differentiating its food from other regions would be difficult with local ingredients, local traditions, and no exploration of creative dishes. When noodles are sourced locally the noodles can taste really good and the fresh Wasabi from Itoigawa Wasabi Garden the stems and leaves can be sake pickled with cabbage and if ginger is added it can turn green. For extra flavor Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie) mixed with oyster-dashi shoyu can get even saltier. As many Yakisoba eaters there is also a runny Egg on top and cooking the noodles with pork belly that can make the flavor even more savory that is a great idea consideration the varieties of pork that is in Niigata prefecture like “Mumiton Pork” that is savory sweet with high-quality fat.

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The dish falls under the category of Niigata-Itarian Yakisoba and the initial Four Niigata’s Regional Yakisobas of: Howaito Yakisoba, Burakku Yakisoba, Reddo Yakisoba, and Gurrin Yakisoba. A Mascot character named “Black Bancho” promotes the area and its Ikasumi Squid Ink and Black Yakisoba with shades and a modified school uniform in a rebellious style. The flavor of grilled things and a bit of smokiness with the salty is the flavor of the fires that keep people warm in the colder parts of the year, so teppanyaki dishes on metal plates create warm air and a tasty flavor at the same time. As traditional local ingredients have been changing with the water temperature changes there has been a more diverse arrangement of ingredients that have been eaten with Burakku Yakisoba with creative dishes popping up.

https://oose-itoigawa.com/menu/ 
https://news.1242.com/article/235768
https://itoigawa-umaimonkai.com/umaimonkai/