Buckwheat Flour

Japanese flours (rice flour, buckwheat flour, wheat flour…) are ubiquitous in the most famous Japanese recipes: mochi, tempura… We’ve selected the best for you.

Volcanoes and grains

Japanese flours are remarkable for several reasons. Firstly, they benefit from ideal conditions: Japan’s arable land may be scarce due to the country’s mountainous topology, but most of it is particularly rich and fertile.

The wheat and buckwheat that grow on the volcanic ‘andosols’ of Hokkaido, for example, are renowned for producing the exceptional flours used to make the country’s finest noodles. Good soil = good grain = good flour.

A story about water

Another great advantage of Japanese flours is that the soils they come from are irrigated by water that is extremely low in limestone. This means that limestone cannot alter the taste of the local vegetables, fruit and grains. Once again, we have the local volcanic rock to thank for its filtering properties.

One last advantage, and we’ll leave it at that: the polishing of rice and the grinding of matcha have made the Japanese experts in “pulverisation”. Local flours are produced on highly sophisticated machines, sometimes down to the micron. It’s up to you to turn them into soba or mochi!

International powders

It may sound strange, but Japan’s flour talent is real. The world owes them a debt of gratitude for tempura flour and panko, the dry breadcrumbs that turn every fried dish into a masterpiece.

There’s also kinako, the toasted soya flour that goes so well with mochi and other desserts, and katakuriko, the potato starch that holds the secret of Japanese fried chicken, the famous kara-age. As always, we only have one piece of advice: go for it.