What Are Sobarias?

Sobarias are basically brazilian noodle shops selling Okinawan soba. Opened by ethnic Japanese or/and Okinawan brazilians, Sobarias are quite popular in the city of Campo Grande. Which is in Mato Grosso do Sul. The irony is however, that most Japanese brazilians actually live in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Sobarias sell the brazilian adaptation of Okinawan soba, which consists of toppings such as sliced meat and vegetables. Also available are other 'brazilianised' Japanese dishes such as yakisoba and generic ethnic dishes like beef kebabs and sausages.

Many Singaporeans do not know this, but Brazil has the largest group of ethnic Japanese living outside Japan in the world. Most of them are already third to fourth generation descendants. Many Japanese in Brazil have ancestors from Okinawa too, therefore it is not surprising to find Okinawan food in modern Brazilian culture. Okinawan soba is nothing like the usual Japanese cha-soba or zaru-soba found in Singapore. Okinawan Soba consists of thin or thick, whitish wheat noodles in a clear pork and seaweed broth. Common toppings for Okinawan soba are either thick cuts of pork belly or boneless pork ribs (known locally as soki) and sliced scallions. Sometimes one can find sliced kamaboko (japanese fishcake) included as a topping too. The final touch on this dish is an extremely red and deliciously strong and pungent ginger pickle known in Japan as Beni Shoga.

To have a brief idea about this fine example of latin-american asian culture, check out http://www.sobaria.com.br/ (the website is in Portuguese though)