{{Short description|Type of East Asian noodles}} {{about|the type of noodle|the type of facial armor worn by Japanese samurai|Men-yoroi}} {{Italic title}} {{multiple issues| {{original research|date=November 2012}} {{more citations needed|date=October 2013}} }} {{Infobox food | name = ''Sōmen'' | image = Somen 001.jpg | caption = | alternate_name = {{Flatlist| * ''Somyeon'' * ''sùmiàn'' * ''Soomin'' }} | country = China<ref>{{cite web|title=麺類雑学辞典「そうめん」|url=http://www.nichimen.or.jp/zatsugaku/04_02.html|website=日本麺類業団体連合会|access-date=4 January 2018|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133405/http://www.nichimen.or.jp/zatsugaku/04_02.html|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> | region = East Asia | creator = | course = | type = Noodles | served = | main_ingredient = Wheat flour | variations = | calories = | other = }} {{Infobox Chinese | title = Regional names | name1 = Historical name | c = 索麵 | l = rope noodle | mc = /sɑk̚.men<sup>H</sup>/ | altname = Chinese name | t2 = 素麵 | s2 = 素面 | l2 = white noodle | p2 = sùmiàn | w2 = su<sup>4</sup>-mien<sup>4</sup> | hangul = 소면 | hanja = 素麵 | rr = somyeon | mr = somyŏn | kanji = 素麺 | kana = そうめん | revhep = sōmen }} {{Nihongo||素麺|'''Sōmen'''|lead=yes}}, '''''somyeon''''' ({{Korean|hangul=소면|hanja=素麵|labels=yes}}), or '''''sùmiàn''''' ({{Lang-zh|s=|t=素麵|first=t}}) or '''''Soomin''''' (Okinawan:{{lang|ryu|素麺}}) is a very thin noodle made of wheat flour, less than 1.3&nbsp;mm in diameter. The noodles are used extensively in East Asian cuisines. Japanese ''sōmen'' is made by stretching the dough with vegetable oil, forming thin strands that are then air dried for later use. This is distinct from a similar thin noodle, ''hiyamugi'', which is knife-cut.

In Japan, ''sōmen'' is usually served cold with a light dipping sauce called ''tsuyu''. South Korean ''somyeon'' may be eaten in hot or cold noodle soups. ''Sōmen'' is typically high in sodium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19536631/secretly-salty-foods/|title = 8 Secretly Super-Salty Foods|date = 6 April 2015}}</ref>

Other names are ''nyūmen'' (煮麺) in Japanese, for a version served warm in soup, and the Chinese name ''guàmiàn'' ({{Lang-zh|t=掛麵}}), which can be further classified into ''lóngxū'' ({{Lang-zh|t=龍鬚|l=Dragon Whiskers}}) for the variant with long and thin strands and ''fèngwei'' ({{Lang-zh|t=鳳尾|l=Phoenix Tail}}) for the variant with flat and broad strands.

==History== The earliest record for what would later be ''sōmen'' dates back to the Tang dynasty in 618-907 China. Around that time, the Japanese Imperial Court in Nara brought in some knotted pastry from China which they called sakubei/索餅 (most likely Chinese mahua/麻花). Sakubei later evolved into somen first in modern-day Sakurai, Nara's Miwa district<ref>[https://thesetouchicookbook.com/article/somen Somen : Silky, Springy Noodles]</ref> during the Heian Period and then evolved to become high-class Japanese cuisine served to emperors and nobles.<ref>[https://matcha-jp.com/en/11678 Beware of Somen! Uncovering the Secrets of Japan's Tasty and Versatile Noodles]</ref> This transition from the knotted pastry (sakubei) to the thin noodle form we know today occurred primarily during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). This evolution was catalyzed by two major factors: the introduction of stone mills (ishiusu) by Zen Buddhist monks, which allowed for the production of fine wheat flour, and the development of the hand-stretching technique (tenobe) using vegetable oil. The oil prevented the dough from drying out, enabling it to be stretched into much thinner, delicate strands. By the late 14th century, the term somen (素麺) appeared in historical records such as the Kakaisho, marking its distinction from its predecessor. <ref>{{cite book |last=Ishige |first=Naomichi |title=The History and Culture of Japanese Food |publisher=Routledge |year=2001 |isbn=978-0710306579 |pages=78–81}}</ref>

== East Asian cuisines == === Japan === [[File:TofuSeller1500.jpg|thumb|300px|Illustration of a tofu seller (right) and a ''sōmen'' seller (left) by Tosa Mitsunobu, from the ''Songs of the Seventy-one Craftsmen'' (七十一番職人歌合 ''Shichijūichi-ban Shokunin Uta-awase''), a poetry anthology written around 1500]]

Sōmen are usually served cold with a light flavored dipping sauce<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vtZHWgmGrUUC&pg=PA177 Hiking in Japan - Richard Ryall, Craig McLachlan, David Joll<!-- Bot generated title -->]. p. 177.</ref> or ''tsuyu''. The tsuyu is usually a ''katsuobushi''-based sauce that can be flavored with Japanese bunching onion, ginger, or ''myoga''. In the summer, sōmen chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool.

Sōmen served in hot soup is usually called ''nyūmen'' and eaten in the winter, just like soba or udon are.

Some restaurants offer ''nagashi-sōmen'' (流しそうめん flowing noodles) in the summer. The noodles are placed in a long flume of bamboo<ref name=JT>{{cite news | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/21/travel/tsushima-a-boundary-island-of-japan/ | title=Tsushima: a boundary island of Japan | newspaper=The Japan Times | date=September 21, 2013 | access-date=19 October 2013 | author=Adika, Alon}}</ref> across the length of the restaurant. The flume carries clear, ice-cold water. As the sōmen pass by, diners pluck them out with their chopsticks<ref name=JT/> and dip them in tsuyu. Catching the noodles requires a fair amount of dexterity, but the noodles that are not caught by the time they get to the end usually are not eaten, so diners are pressured to catch as much as they can. A few luxury establishments put their sōmen in real streams so that diners can enjoy their meal in a beautiful garden setting. Machines have been designed to simulate this experience at home.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=流しそうめん機のおすすめ20選。回転型とスライダー型に分けてご紹介 |url=https://sakidori.co/article/933293 |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=SAKIDORI（サキドリ） {{!}} ほしいが見つかるモノメディア |language=ja}}</ref>

In Okinawan cuisine, ''Soomin'' is used in stir fry such as ''Sōmin Chanpurū'' and ''Abura zoomïn''.

<gallery> File:Simple somen.jpg|Sōmen (in large white bowl at upper-right) with assorted toppings File:Nagashi somen by tasteful tn.jpg|''Nagashi-sōmen'' File:Somen champru by ayustety in Naha, Okinawa.jpg|''Sōmin Chanpurū'' </gallery> === Korea === In Korean cuisine, ''somyeon'' is used in hot and cold noodles soups such as ''janchi-guksu'' (banquet noodles) and ''kong-guksu'' (noodles in cold soybean soup), as well as soupless noodle dishes such as ''bibim-guksu'' (mixed noodles). It is often served with spicy ''anju'' (food that accompanies alcoholic drink) such as ''golbaengi-muchim'' (moon snail salad).

<gallery> File:Janchi-guksu.jpg|''Janchi-guksu'' File:Korean noodles-Kongguksu-01.jpg|''Kong-guksu'' File:Bibim-guksu.jpg|''Bibim-guksu'' File:Golbaengi-muchim.jpg|''Golbaengi-muchim'' served with boiled ''somyeon'' </gallery>

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Five-colour somyeon 1.jpg|Five-colour ''somyeon'' File:Somyeon.jpg|Boiled ''somyeon'' </gallery>

==See also== {{Portal|Food|Japan|South Korea}}

*Capellini - Italian pasta with similar thinness *Hiyashi chūka *Sōmen salad

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Somen}}

{{Japanese food and drink|state=autocollapse}} {{Noodle}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somen}} Category:Chinese noodles Category:Cold noodles Category:East Asian noodles Category:Japanese noodles Category:Korean noodles