Udon flour - Udonko

…The traditional milling method using waterwheels and stone mills, which continued from the Edo period to the Meiji period, had poor refining technology and was often contaminated with bran, resulting in a strong brown color and coarse grain size. It was called udon flour because it was used for making udon noodles. In contrast, American flour, which was imported from the beginning of the Meiji period for bread and other purposes, was milled using modern machines, was white in color and of much better quality, and was distinguished from udon flour as if it were a different kind of flour, and was called American flour. …

*Some of the terminology that mentions "udon flour" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…江戸時代から明治時代まで続いた在来の水車による石臼製粉は，精製技術が低くふすまの混入などのため粉の色は褐色が強く，粒度も粗かった。うどんに用いられたためうどん粉といわれていた。これに対して明治の初めからパン用などに輸入されたアメリカ製の小麦粉は近代的な機械製粉であり，色が白く品質も格段によく，うどん粉とは別種のように区別され，メリケン粉と称された。…

※「うどん粉」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報