The unique noodle dish is being sold at a small eatery in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, Japan called Nittanosho Kanzantei. It has attracted attention from the online community thanks to the fact that this dish is not even on the menu. The so-called “divine noodles” are mainly sold as souvenirs, home-cooked or as gifts, but they are so eye-catching that people can't seem to stop talking about them. Many tourists humorously said that coming to enjoy this noodle dish "eat and release karma".
The unique noodle dish is being sold at a small restaurant in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Although it is not on the menu, it still attracts the attention of many diners.
With its eye-catching appearance, many diners can't seem to stop talking about this unusual noodle dish. Cut into thick sheets, these unique noodles have large, rectangle-like characters printed on them with edible ingredients that are still visible even after cooking. So you can actually read your food as you eat it.
A packet of spiritual noodles printed with the entire Heart Sutra, one of Buddhism's most sacred texts. At many temples, the Heart Sutra is usually given to visitors in paper form, but Nittanosho Kanzantei got creative and suggested that the Heart Sutra could also be used on noodles instead of paper.
A pack of noodles has about 260 Buddhist characters.
This entire package of spiritual noodles is printed with the entire Heart Sutra, one of Buddhism's most sacred texts.
It is believed that by reciting or copying the Heart Sutra, one can attain peace of mind, escape from suffering, or even be cured of illness. It is sacred and is seen as a candle that shines to end the darkness of suffering. The Heart Sutra also refers to the concept of emptiness and is often chanted by monks during funerals or memorial services, or as a meditation practice in temples. This is the main reason why Nittanosho Kanzantei does not serve this spiritual noodle dish at its restaurant, and it is also a dish that is best eaten at home, where the diner has privacy.
A single packet of these spiritual noodles contains the entire 260-character Heart Sutra. In addition to the noodles and broth, each packet of sacred noodles comes with a sheet of paper printed with furigana, which helps with reading the more difficult kanji, and a modern translation guide for those new to Buddhist scripture.
At many temples, the Heart Sutra is often given to visitors in paper form, but Nittanosho Kanzantei was creative and suggested that the Heart Sutra could also be used on noodles instead of paper.
On each noodle are lines of the Heart Sutra (Heart Sutra), one of the sacred mantras in Buddhist scriptures.
According to Nittanosho Kanzantei, the spiritual noodles are printed using a mixture of bamboo charcoal and edible caramel dye derived from wheat. While the writing will fade a bit after cooking, it is still perfectly visible and legible. Although they can be boiled, the restaurant recommends boiling them with accompanying vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, onions, and taro.
Add raw noodles to hot water until they boil, then add them to the soup so the “lettering” on the noodles doesn’t melt or disappear.
These soul noodles are said to be sold only in Gunma Prefecture. A three-pack comes with dashi seasoning for extra flavor and costs 1,620 yen (about 300,000 VND).
Some Japanese diners commented that this sacred noodle dish is quite interesting, the noodles are chewy, the soup is rich and worth the experience.
