Protected local food
Ibuki Soba
伊吹そば
A native buckwheat grown on the slopes of Mount Ibuki in Maibara, Shiga. Small grains with a greenish tint, a strong aroma and good sweetness.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 9 September 2019
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 伊吹そば
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 滋賀県米原市
Kept pure by the mountains
Ibuki soba is a local buckwheat long grown on the middle slopes of Mount Ibuki in Shiga. In the upper valley of the Ane River the fields slope and drain well, and the surrounding mountains keep other buckwheat from crossing with it. Seed is grown there, and fields have spread down into the rest of Maibara city.
Green and fragrant
The grains are small, mostly under 4.5 mm across, with a large share of inner husk. That gives the flour a green tint and a strong buckwheat aroma. Millers and soba shops rate its umami and sweetness as high as any modern variety.
How to eat it
Order zaru soba, cold noodles with a dipping sauce, to taste the aroma. Soba shops near Mount Ibuki serve it fresh.
Good to know
- Maibara is a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen, so a soba lunch near Mount Ibuki is an easy break between Tokyo and Kyoto.
- In Shiga, also try Omi beef. Compare with Taishu Soba, an island native buckwheat from Tsushima.
Questions travellers ask
What makes Ibuki soba different?
It is an old native buckwheat with small grains and a strong aroma, kept pure by the mountains around it.
Where is it grown?
In Maibara city, Shiga Prefecture, on and below Mount Ibuki.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Hida no Takumi: 1,300 years of master woodworkers in Takayama
- Iga and Koka: in search of the real ninja
- Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
- Lake Biwa: villages that live with the water
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.