Local food in Iya Valley: Iya soba (buckwheat) and dekomawashi (miso-flavored soba cake)

Iya Valley is a beautiful, deep and mountainous valley in the center of Shikoku. Because of its large-scale scenery, and fun attractions such as river rafting, vine bridges, and hot springs, a lot of tourists visit here despite the narrow, winding roads that render it nearly inaccessible.

The local food is another attraction. Iya soba (buckwheat noodle) is famous for its simple taste, made from 100% buckwheat. The noodle is short and thick, as it is difficult to make long, thin noodles without flour. “Decomawashi” literally means “a spinning wooden doll” in a Tokushima dialect. Mashed soba and/or mountain potato, tofu, and konjac are skewered and baked by a charcoal fire with miso paste. The taste of baked tofu is in-ornate and tasty. The fermented soybean flavor of miso whets one’s appetite.