Aburasoba (油そば), also known as maze soba (, ), monjasoba (もんじゃそば), tenukisoba (手抜きそば), abu ramen (あぶラーメン) or shirunashi ramen (汁なしラーメン), is a dry noodle dish made with a sauce of soy sauce and lard.
Mazesoba was introduced in the 1950s, with Chinchintei opening up in Musashino City in the 1950s. The largest aburasoba chain in the world is Kokoro Mazesoba.
History
There are two theories about its origin: one is that Sanko, a restaurant near Hitotsubashi University in Kunitachi City, founded in 1952, started serving it as a snack with alcohol. They were likely inspired in the 1950s by soggy ramen noodles. The other theory is that Chinchintei, a restaurant near Asia University in the Musashino City district, started selling aburasoba in the 1950s. It became popular and ranked in the
Shimbun list of Trending Products of the Year. In 2002,
Nissin Foods launched the "Bubukka" oil-based instant noodles in Kichijoji, Musashino City.
Students and Aburasoba
It is said that it became popular among students because of its relatively low price and large portions. According to Great Gidayu, after entering Asia University, a senior student took him to a restaurant that served aburasoba as a "rite of passage". Although he didn't think it tasted good at first, he became addicted after going there several times. Chinchintei sells noodles, soup, and more by mail order, but most of the orders are from alumni of Asia University. It has also become a specialty menu item at some student cafeterias.
See also
