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Grains, flours & pasta

Soba

Soba is a pasta noodle made with buckwheat flour and sometimes wheat flour. It has a grainy texture, is sold dried, and can be steamed and paired with nori or scallions.

  • Gluten depends on the product
  • May contain wheat
  • May contain gluten cereals

About the plain ingredient, not packaged products; general information, not medical advice. Details

Texture
Grainy
Cooked most in
Asia
Top country
Japan
Soba, in dish

Photo: City Foodsters · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use soba

Typical ways to cook or use it

  • Steam

Made from

Preparing it

Soba dough is sliced into thin noodles.

Cooking with it

Fresh soba is generally cooked immediately after cutting. Soaking handmade soba in hot broth changes its texture.

Goes well with

Flavour

Taste and texture

Texture

  • Grainy

Shopping

Choosing and storing soba

Sold as
Dried

Nutrition

What 100 g of soba holds

Per 100 g. Averages from USDA; real values vary by variety, season and growing conditions.

Protein 16%Fat 1%Carbohydrate 83%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of soba
Energy336 kcal · 1,406 kJ
Protein14 g
Fat0.71 g
of which saturated0.14 g
Carbohydrate75 g
Sodium792 mg
Cholesterol0 mg
Nutrition per 100 g of soba: minerals and vitamins
Potassium252 mg
Calcium35 mg
Iron2.7 mg
Magnesium95 mg
Zinc1.7 mg
Folate60 µg
Cooked

Protein 19%Fat 0%Carbohydrate 81%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of soba, cooked
Energy99 kcal · 414 kJ
Protein5.1 g
Fat0.1 g
of which saturated0.02 g
Carbohydrate21 g
Sodium60 mg
Cholesterol0 mg
Nutrition per 100 g of soba, cooked: minerals and vitamins
Potassium35 mg
Calcium4 mg
Iron0.48 mg
Magnesium9 mg
Zinc0.12 mg
Folate7 µg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (foods 168906, 168907), public domain. Minerals and vitamins are listed only where USDA measured a non-zero amount.

Around the world

Where soba is cooked

1 dish in the catalogue uses soba. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list soba among their ingredients.

Origins

  1. 1574 · Japan

    A temple record describes soba being served to workers repairing its main hall.

  2. 1603/1868 · Japan

    Modern soba originated in the Edo period, centered on what is now Tokyo.

  3. 1643 · Japan

    A cookbook published in 1643 contained a soba recipe.

  4. 1657 · Japan

    Soba shops became more common in Tokyo after the Great Fire of Meireki.

On the table

Dishes made with soba

1 dish in the catalogue uses it.

  • Korokke soba

    Japan

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include soba.

Good to know

Diet and allergens: soba in detail

These notes describe the plain ingredient. Packaged and prepared products vary, so read the label; for allergies and medical diets ask a doctor or dietitian.
Allergens
Sometimes wheat (only when the optional ingredient is used)Sometimes gluten cereals (only when the optional ingredient is used)
Gluten
Depends on the product (only when the optional ingredient is used)

Around the world

What soba is called

Names in 44 languages, from Wikidata.

  • Spanish

    Soba

  • French

    Soba

  • Italian

    Soba

  • Portuguese

    sobá

  • German

    Soba

  • Dutch

    Soba

  • Turkish

    Soba

  • Russian

    Соба

  • Polish

    soba

  • Arabic

    سوبا · صوبا

  • Persian

    سوبا

  • Hebrew

    סובה

Show all 44 languages

  • Armenian

    Սոբա

  • Asturian

    soba

  • Basque

    Soba

  • Brazilian Portuguese

    Sobá

  • Cantonese

    蕎麥麪

  • Catalan

    Fideus soba

  • Chinese

    日式荞麦面

  • Czech

    soba · Nudle soba

  • Danish

    soba

  • Esperanto

    Sobao

  • Estonian

    Soba

  • Filipino

    Soba

  • Finnish

    Soba

  • Georgian

    სობა

  • Hungarian

    szoba

  • Indonesian

    Soba

  • Japanese

    蕎麦 · ざる蕎麦 · 二八そば · 山菜蕎麦

  • Javanese

    Soba

  • Korean

    소바

  • Lithuanian

    Soba

  • Macedonian

    соба

  • Malay

    Soba

  • Min Nan Chinese

    Soba

  • Norwegian Bokmål

    soba

  • Romanian

    soba

  • ryu

    蕎麦 · すば

  • Simplified Chinese

    日式荞麦面

  • Slovenian

    soba

  • Sundanese

    Soba

  • Swedish

    Soba

  • Thai

    โซบะ

  • Traditional Chinese

    日式蕎麥麵

  • Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong SAR China)

    日式蕎麥麵

  • Ukrainian

    Соба

  • Vietnamese

    Soba

  • Wu Chinese

    日式蕎麥麵

Sources and credits

Data

Wikidata item: Q753910

Photos

Photo: City Foodsters · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons