The second biggest event in the history of wheat in 8,000 years”… The much talked about “glutinous wheat” ramen, the ultimate in sticky texture.

What is glutinous wheat, a wheat variety born in Japan?

The texture of noodles made with this wheat is like the sucking of a fresh octopus!　The texture of the noodles is as if they become one with the mucous membranes in your mouth. ……The Japanese love the glutinous texture of noodles, and “Mochi Wheat” is the ultimate in that!

The owner of “Udon Snack Matsutomugi” in Komazawa, Tokyo, Mr. Kon Inoue spoke enthusiastically. He used to work as a writer, but his love for udon grew so strong that he opened his own restaurant, where he makes udon with a different variety of Japanese wheat every week.

The “glutinous wheat” that even the most famous “udon pervert” would be impressed with. Mr. Inoue began using it in 2004, and in recent years, more and more restaurants are adopting it. The ramen industry stands out in particular. At the 2010 TRY (Tokyo Ramen of the Year), the judges’ roundtable discussion on the general comments made by the judges included the following comments: “Noodles made with glutinous wheat are proliferating, not only at new restaurants, but also at famous restaurants. Not only new stores, but also famous stores are using glutinous wheat.

Before we discuss the secret history of the development of glutinous wheat and its epoch-making characteristics, we will hit three restaurants in a row that have adopted glutinous wheat!　Let’s select a must-try from oil soba, tsukemen, and ramen.

Take a bite of the extra-thick noodles and your mouth will be filled with “mochi mochi” (glutinous rice cake) / MEN Cry (Hamamatsucho)

First up is MEN Kurai, which won first place in the soup-less category of the TRY2021 Newcomer Awards. It opened in 2021 as the next brand of the famous “Chinese Soba WA-UZU TOKYO. The noodles are made of 100% domestic wheat, blended with “Mochihime,” a glutinous wheat brand. The main menu of “Ramen” and “Tsukemen” (ramen and dipping noodles) in soy sauce and salt flavors are also strong, but we dare you to choose “Aburosoba” here.

The texture of the Aburasoba is also a new experience for customers!　When the restaurant was first established, the noodles were so ultra-thick that they could be mistaken for udon noodles, but they have been tuned to make them easier to slurp. Now they are semi-thick, but when you bring them to your lips with your chopsticks, you will be filled with the four words “sticky” and a moment of bliss awaits you. Strangely enough, while the viscous texture comes to the fore, chewing and swallowing are nonstressful. The glutinous noodles, which are more airy and sticky, fall into your stomach without a hitch.

The high quality back fat and smoked pork oil from the process of making chashu pork add to the richness of the dish. The rich soy sauce sauce is thickly mixed with the noodles. Although the noodles weigh 220 grams, you will surely finish them in no time at all. We highly recommend this dish as one of the leaders in the field of sticky wheat noodle oil soba.