Удон: Японская пшеничная лапша и её разновидности

Thick Japanese noodle made from wheat flour

Udon (うどん or 饂飩) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There is a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as kake udon with a mild broth called kakejiru made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings include prawn tempura, kakiage (mixed tempura fritter), abura age (sweet, deep fried tofu pouches), kamaboko (sliced fish cake), and shichimi spice added to taste. Standard broth differs by region. Dark (koikuchi) soy sauce is added in eastern Japan, while light (usukuchi) soy sauce is added in the west. Instant noodles are often sold in two (or more) versions accordingly. More unusual variants include stir fried yaki udon and curry udon made with Japanese curry. It is often used in shabu shabu or Japanese hot pot.

Udon noodles are boiled in a pot of hot water. Depending on the type of udon, the way it is served is different as well. Udon noodles are usually served chilled in the summer and hot in the winter. In the Edo period, the thicker wheat noodle was generally called udon, and served with a hot broth called (温麦). The chilled variety was called (冷麦). Cold udon, or udon salad, is usually mixed with egg omelette slices, shredded chicken and fresh vegetables, such as cucumber and radish. Toppings of udon soup are chosen to reflect the seasons. Most toppings are added without much cooking, although deep fried tempura is sometimes added. Many of these dishes may also be prepared with soba.

There are wide variations in both thickness and shape for udon noodles. : similar to the Hohtoh, from Ōita Prefecture. Nominally a "dumpling soup", it resembles very thick, flat udon. : a thin and firm variant from the Goto Islands. The noodles are coated in camellia oil, a natural preservative made from the seeds of camellias, which are abundant in the Goto Islands. : a slightly translucent, chewy type from Kutchan, Hokkaido. Literally "heavy snow udon", made from the starch of potatoes. The texture is different from normal udon which is made from flour. At the foot of Mount Yōtei, Hokkaido, the biggest producing area of potatoes, "potato starch udon" was eaten as a home food for farmers from long ago. The ratio of potato starch and wheat flour was improved to make it delicious even after a long time. The origin of the name "heavy snow udon" is the foot of Mount Yōtei, a heavy snowfall area, and the appearance of the noodles which is slightly translucent like snow. : a thick and soft type from Fukuoka. : an extreme flat and wide type from Kiryū, Gunma. Hōtō (rarely , commonly ): a type of miso soup from Yamanashi Prefecture with a flat and wide type udon and vegetables, particularly kabocha. One of the significant differences between usual udon and Hōtō udon is salt. When Hōtō udon is made, salt is not added to the noodle dough. : a thin type from Akita Prefecture. : a soft type, usually eaten with sweet soy sauce, from Ise, Mie. In Kansai region, a soft and medium thickness type is popular. Kishimen (, or more commonly ): a flat type with wavy edges, a regional specialty from Nagoya. : a lucky preserved food in Kuzu, Tochigi. It looks similar to ears. Miso nikomi udon: a local dish of Nagoya, a hard udon simmered in red miso soup. The soup generally contains chicken, a floating cracked raw egg that is stirred in by the eater, kamaboko, vegetables and tubers. The noodles are extremely firm in order to stand up to the prolonged simmering in the soup; additionally, the noodles do not contain salt, so as to avoid over salting from the salt in the miso. Saitama Prefecture has several varieties of udon. : produced in Kazo, Saitama, a place of active wheat production. Its very orthodox hand kneading process characterizes Kazo udon noodles. : a type of hotoh from Fukaya, Saitama. Boiled noodles using plenty of Fukaya green onions characterize Fuyaya Niboto udon. : originated of Kōnosu, Saitama in 2009. it is characterized by its width that is as wide as eight centimeters. : originated of Niiza, Saitama in 2002. The noodles are kneaded with carrot and are characterized by their vivid orange color. : a thick and rather stiff type from Kagawa Prefecture. : a specialty of Nagasaki Prefecture. Literally "plate udon," consisting of thinner udon that are deep fried and served with any of a number of toppings.

In Korea, authentic Japanese udon dishes are served in numerous Japanese restaurants, while the Korean style udon noodle soups are served in bunsikjip (snack bars) and pojangmacha (street stalls). Both types are called udong (우동), which is the transliteration of the Japanese word udon (うどん). In Korea, the word udong refers to noodle dishes (typically noodle soup), while the noodles themselves are called udong myeon (우동면; "udong noodles") and considered a type of garak guksu (가락국수; "thick noodles"). The broth is soy sauce–based like Japanese udon. However, as there were many immigrants from Okinawa, it uses less broth like Okinawa soba. Most notably, the noodle is that of spaghetti, as it is easier to acquire there. Languages of the neighboring Federated States of Micronesia also have similar loanwords from Japanese udon; Chuukese: wutong, Pohnpeian: udong, Kosraean: utong, and .

or of Davao Region and Visayas is inspired by the Japanese udon, similar to Okinawa soba. A typical odong bowl is prepared with canned sardine and tomato sauce. Other dishes such as layering with greens are also popular. During the early 1900s, there was a large community of Japanese laborers in Davao, half of them Okinawans. In this period, the Japanese manufactured odong.