Texture is not something that is complete once perfected.
The human “palate” continually changes along with culture, living environments, and dietary habits.
A texture that once felt pleasant may feel heavy in a different era.
Conversely, a texture that was once rejected can, at a certain point in time, become established as “delicious.”
In other words, texture is a mirror reflecting its era.
A texture that was supported in the past does not necessarily remain valid today.
The “Evolution of Texture”
shown through the history of wheat-based cuisine
When wheat-based cuisine was first introduced to Japan, wheat flour was kneaded and eaten in dumpling-like forms. Frankly speaking, this texture would not be considered particularly pleasant by modern standards.
As time progressed, wheat evolved into the form of “noodle strands”. By stretching, cutting, and boiling the dough, a distinctive texture culture emerged, represented today by udon, with its stretch, elasticity, and smooth throat feel. This was not merely a change in cooking method or a coincidence.
It was the result of continuously designing the texture to suit human palate. It was an evolution of texture.
The texture of udon that was once not accepted
When I (Kaoru Fujii, Founder of Yamato MFG) began working in North America about 40 years ago, the texture of Udon was not warmly received.
- An unusual mouthfeel
- An unfamiliar chewy, mochi (rice cake)-like texture
- A unique bite that was difficult to comprehend
Within the North American food culture at the time, Udon was perceived as having a “foreign texture”. It can be said that even before taste, the texture did not align with the local culture.
However, texture acceptance is not fixed. It changes over time.
~ Several decades later ~
Today, it is harder to find a supermarket that does not carry frozen Udon.
What does this imply? It reflects two facts:
- The human palate and food culture change
- Texture can be accepted through familiarity and deliberate design
What the top local restaurants always do
The leading restaurtant in any region continues to ask one essential question:
“What kind of texture do people today find comfortable”?
To address this, they clearly separate two things:
- The “core” that must never change
- The “texture” that should evolve with the times
Restaurant that cannot make this distinction gradually become “places that used to be good”.
If you try to preserve everything, you fall behind the times.
If you change everything, the restaurant loses its identity.
This understanding is the fundamental axis of judgment for a leading local restaurant.
Do not reduce texture to mere “Subjective Sensation” – CONCLUSION
Texture should not be discussed only in terms of feeling, craftsmanship intuition, or using vague language.
It is something to be designed.
For example:
- Throat feel
- Surface smoothness
- Bite and clean cut
- Cohesion in the mouth
- Chewiness
These elements must be intentionally designed according to the era, region, and customers’ palates.
Only when you go this far does the texture become a “reproducible value”.
This is the mindset required in the modern noodle business.
And ultimately, this mindset determines long-term success.
Texture, like flavor, is a core asset of management.
Therefore, while protecting what must be preserved, you must have courage to let the texture evolve.
Whether one is capable of that or not creates the decisive difference between the restaurants that remain popular and those that do not.
As history has repeatedly shown us:
those who understand texture do not merely make noodles, they shape culture.
Texture is not an accident. It is intention, design, and courage aligned with the times.
That is why the restaurants that endure are not the ones that resist change, but the ones that know what to preserve and what must evolve.
Fujii ‘Rocky’ Kaoru
