tsukemen

Japan · East Asia

Bowl of thick noodles beside a separate dipping broth and sliced pork on a table.
tsukemen

Tsukemen is a Japanese noodle dish served in two parts: a portion of ramen noodles and a separate bowl of concentrated soup. The noodles are commonly cool while the soup is warm, and small mouthfuls are dipped immediately before eating. This arrangement distinguishes tsukemen from ramen served submerged in broth and from mazesoba, whose seasoning is mixed directly into the noodles. The dipping soup is generally richer than an ordinary ramen broth, so it can season the noodles without surrounding them in a full bowl of liquid.[1][2]

The dish's modern history is closely associated with Taishoken in Tokyo. The Nakano restaurant's family history describes staff eating leftover cold noodles with hot soup, then adding the combination to the menu after customers requested it. Kazuo Yamagishi, who worked with founder Masayasu Sakaguchi before opening his own Taishoken in Higashi-Ikebukuro, became an influential figure in its wider development.[3][2]

References

Sources checked:

  1. A Quick Guide to Japanese Delicacies: Noodles — Japan National Tourism Organization
  2. A Guide to Ramen in Japan — Japan National Tourism Organization
  3. Our Story — Taishoken
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