1. What is Miura Foods?

Miura Foods Co., Ltd. is a noodle manufacturing company specializing in dried noodles, with its headquarters in Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture.

Founded in 1950, the company has a history of over 70 years.

Their flagship product, Zaosoba, has been improved upon since the company was founded and has been loved for over half a century.

However, that is not all; in recent years Miura Foods has been introducing a series of attractive products.

What kind of products are popular?

2. The popular local instant noodle series!

The name Miura Foods Co., Ltd. became known nationwide after the launch of the “Soba-ya no Chuka Soba Series” in 2000.

At the time, they were looking into developing a product as a souvenir from Yamagata, and with the desire to let people know about Yamagata’s noodle culture, the local instant noodle “tori-chuka” was born.

In order to ensure that people all over the country could enjoy the product, they visited various locations to inspect the taste and made numerous prototypes.

Miura Foods places great importance on the firmness and aroma of the noodles, which give them a chewy texture and a rich wheat aroma that you wouldn’t expect from dried noodles.

Additionally, local instant noodles, which come with soup, quickly became popular as people could enjoy local flavors at home.

3. How does Miura Foods make its noodles?

This time, we were given a special tour of the factory.

How exactly does Miura Foods produce the fresh noodle-like flavor and texture that is unique to their products?

Now let’s take a look at the actual noodle making process.

① Mix flour and water

First, mix the flour and water to make the noodles.

At this point, the delicious aroma of wheat will spread.

Here, in order to bring out the flavor of the wheat, they knead the dough using cold water instead of hot water, although this takes a little longer.

② Roll and stretch

The dough is then rolled out with a roller.

Here, two pieces of dough are stacked and stretched to create chewy noodles.

The fabric is layered and stretched

By doing this, the dough, which was uneven at first, will gradually become smooth in texture…

③ Allow the dough to mature

The stretched dough is then allowed to mature once to stabilize its condition.

The dough being aged

There are various processes added at key points to bring out the deliciousness of the noodles!

④ Roll out the dough thinly with a roller

After the dough has matured, it is passed through rollers of slightly different widths to make it even thinner and smoother.

You can see that the fabric gradually acquires a glossy appearance and changes to a silky texture.

By repeating this process, the noodles become smooth and easy to swallow.

Rolling out the dough with a roller

⑤ Cut into noodle shapes

The stretched fabric is then cut and taken to a drying room.

The noodles being carried to the drying room

The noodles are cut very quickly, and beautiful, soft noodles are produced in an instant.

It was so vivid to see!

⑥ Dry the noodles

The thinly cut noodles are dried in four steps.

① Allow the noodles to warm to room temperature.
② Increase the temperature and dry them.
③ Lower the humidity and evaporate the moisture.
④ Return the noodles to room temperature

The drying room is so warm that you will start to sweat.

Each of the four drying chambers has a different temperature and humidity.

First, let the noodles get used to it, then gradually increase the temperature.

The slow temperature rise helps to preserve the wheat flavor and results in flexible noodles that are less likely to break.

Also, because temperature and humidity vary depending on the season, daily records are carefully kept and information is shared, and craftsmen make any fine adjustments at their discretion.

⑦ Cut the noodles to an easy-to-eat length.

Cut the dried noodles into bite-sized pieces.

Noodles brought out of the drying room (left) / Noodles with their length adjusted (right)

It’s a little hard to tell from the photo, but from the way the noodles were brought to the table, I could sense their firm, flexible texture.

⑧ Gather the noodles into individual bundles.

The noodles, which have been cut to the same length, are then gathered into individual bundles by a machine.

Noodle bundling machine

➈ Pack the noodles and soup in a bag

Each bundle of noodles is then wrapped by hand.

Finally, visually check for any abnormalities.

After going through these processes, Miura Foods’ noodles are complete!

Each type of finished noodle is tasted to ensure its flavor and safety before being shipped.

Another great thing about Miura Foods is that they pay close attention to each and every product and implement thorough quality control to deliver safe and secure food.

Here are some of the things that we found amazing during our factory tour.

1. Careful consideration to bring out the flavor of the ingredients
2. Techniques to improve the firmness and smoothness of noodles
3. Thorough quality control

This was my first time observing how noodles are made, and seeing the attention to detail that goes into things like the aroma and texture has completely changed my perception of dried noodles.

Why not try paying attention to the aroma and texture of the noodles?

4. Introducing three popular products!

We would like to introduce some of Miura Foods’ most popular products.

1. Tori-chuka: A mild soba soup base flavor

From the official Miura Foods website

Tori-chuka, released in 2009, was the pioneering product of the “Soba Shop Chuka Soba Series.”

Tori-chuka is famous as the soul food of Tendo City, and in order to recreate its taste, a new soup was developed instead of using existing noodles.

The sweet soy sauce flavor reminiscent of soba dashi and the silky smooth noodles go together perfectly!

Topping it with fried tempura bits and chopped seaweed will give you a more local feel.

Be sure to check out the chilled tori-chuka as well.

2. Niku-soba with a rich chicken broth

From the official Miura Foods website

This dish is a reproduction of the “chilled niku-soba” that is famous in the inland area of Yamagata.

The moment you open the sauce packet, the rich aroma of chicken stock spreads.

Even if you can’t get hold of the adult chicken needed to make niku-soba, you can still make it using readily available salad chicken.

The chewy soba noodles are soaked in a broth full of the delicious chicken flavor, and are easy to swallow. You’ll find yourself eating them one after another.

It can be enjoyed all year round, either hot or cold depending on the season.

3. Easy to arrange and addictive! Delicious Abura Soba after all

When you hear “abura soba,” you probably think of something with a strong flavor and plenty of volume.

Miura Foods’ Delicious Abura Soba is also recommended for those who are trying abura soba for the first time.

Adding an egg adds a mellow richness, and adding chili oil and vinegar makes it addictively delicious.

You can vary the ingredients to create different flavors, so enjoy a variety of different tastes.
*It is often displayed in the section with instant noodles, etc.

5. Main sales locations

Miura Foods’ noodles are sold at souvenir shops, product fairs, and supermarkets in Yamagata.

The taste of Yamagata is recreated in the familiar form of dried noodles, and many people who are traveling or on trips away for club activities are interested in them and buy them.

Another great thing about this dish is that it doesn’t require cooking the soup, so you can make it quickly using ingredients you have at home.

Apparently, supermarkets in Yamagata sometimes hold fairs featuring Miura Foods products, so if you come across them, be sure to check them out.

6. Miura Foods Local Instant Noodles are also recommended as a Yamagata souvenir!

This time we introduced Miura Foods’ Local Instant Noodles and how they are made.

Thes allow you to easily enjoy the flavors of Yamagata, and are also recommended as a souvenir or memento of your trip to Yamagata.

Please try this unique taste that Miura Foods has created by thoroughly pursuing the deliciousness of its noodles and soup.

7. Message

Finally, Mr. Kumagai from Miura Foods Co., Ltd. gave a message to everyone reading VISIT YAMAGATA.

“I am happy that many people have become aware of Yamagata’s noodle culture through our local bag noodles.

Please come and enjoy the seasonal noodle dishes that are unique to Yamagata!”