, literally "fried buckwheat," or (the same, but in sauce), is considered a Japanese dish but may have originated in Japan as a variant of fried noodles. It first appeared in food stalls in Japan during the early 20th century. Although soba means buckwheat, typically suggesting noodles made from that flour in mainland Japan, yakisoba noodles are made from wheat flour. It is typically flavored with a condiment similar to oyster sauce.