祖谷の暮らしには欠かせない「祖谷のそば」"Iya's Soba" is an indispensable part of life in Iya
日本三大秘境の一つである祖谷地方は、深い谷と断崖に隔てられた山奥の隠れ里。稲作が困難だったため、主食としてそばが生産されていました。昼夜の寒暖差が激しく、霧の多い祖谷の自然環境はおいしいそばを作るのに適しており、祖谷のそばは三好市が誇る郷土料理の代表となっています。昔は女性たちが夜なべ仕事でそばの実を石臼で引いていました。民謡に合わせて引く様子を側で見て習い覚えたという都築麗子さんが現在もその技を受け継いでいます。古き昔より祖谷地方で作られてきた太目で黒っぽいそばは昔懐かしい味がします。上質な徳島県産のそば粉を使い、丁寧に作られているので風味が損なわれておらず、そば湯も楽しめます。季節の山菜や野菜の天ぷらを添えると一段とおいしく、そばの香りとともに山深い奥祖谷の景色が間近に感じられます。
The Iya district, one of Japan's top three unexplored regions, is a hidden village deep in the mountains separated by a deep valley and a cliff. Soba or buckwheat has been grown as the staple food here as rice cultivation was difficult. The natural environment of Iya with extreme day-night temperature variations and heavy fog is suitable for cultivating delicious soba. Soba from Iya is one of the best local cuisines of Miyoshi City. In the past, women used to grind buckwheat seeds at night using stone mills. Reiko Tsuzuki, who learned the technique by observing the women singing folklore songs while working, still inherits this skill. The taste of thick black noodles produced in the Iya region since the old days takes you back in the past. They are carefully made using fine-quality buckwheat flour produced in Tokushima Prefecture so that the taste is not impaired, and even the soba cooking water can be relished. It tastes even better when had together with seasonal wild plants and vegetable tempura, with the aromas of soba transporting one to the scenic landscapes of Iya situated deep in the mountains.
