The flower of buckwheat is in full bloom right now. When going around Togakushi in Nagano prefecture, you find the plateau is covered with white buckwheat flowers. It is thought that buckwheat flowers are white, but red buckwheat is now in a quiet boom. It is said that buckwheat is originated from Yunnan province in China to the Himalayas, where pink and red buckwheat are common. The red buckwheat “Takano Ruby” the breed was improved and made by the late Professor Teruo Ujihara of Shinshu University who was fascinated by its beauty and brought it back from the Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 meters. Red buckwheat is quite different from ordinary buckwheat and has a little peculiarity, it is strong for eating and it is easy to stick to each other unless boiled immediately, but it is a buckwheat with two birds with one stone that you can eat deliciously after watching.

今ちょうど夏ソバの花が見頃です。長野県の戸隠辺りに行くと高原が白いソバの花で覆い尽くされています。このようにソバの花と言えば白いと思われていますが、今赤ソバが静かなブームになっています。そばの原産地は中国の奥地雲南省からヒマラヤにかけてと言われており、そこでは、ピンクや赤色のソバが普通にあります。その美しさに魅せられた信州大学の故氏原暉男教授が、ヒマラヤの標高4000メートルの場所から持ち帰って品種改良しできたのが赤ソバの「高嶺ルビー」です。赤ソバは普通のソバとかなり違い、少し癖があるのと、コシが強く、ゆでてすぐ食べないとソバがくっつきやすいですが、美しい花を見て楽しんだ後, 美味しくいただける一石二鳥のソバです。