Many regions of Japan are boasting about their type of udon, the Japanese specific thick wheat flour noodle. And they’re right, because most of the udon varieties are delicious and their diversity comes not only from the noodle (which varies greatly in thickness and density) but also from the broth’s flavor and from the topping.

One of the best know udon versions, the one in my photo, was invented in Osaka during the Meiji period, but not by a cook… it was invented by the consumers! It is said that originally the cook had the idea of serving fried tofu (aburaage) as a side dish to udon. But the consumers started putting the aburaage inside the udon dish… And so appeared the Kitsune ("fox") udon whose name comes from a popular legend according to which the favorite food of kitsune, the guardians of the Inari shrines, is the deep-fried tofu. And traditionally it is served with 2 pieces of tofu, one for each kitsune…

Kitsune Udon

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Osaka bird’s-eye night view