noun
nighttime soba vendor; night-hawk soba
Historical term for a mobile soba noodle vendor who walked around at night, or the noodles sold by such a vendor. The name comes from the nightjar bird (夜鷹), which is active at night.
江戸時代には、夜鷹そばを売る屋台が夜の街を回っていた。
In the Edo period, stalls selling night-hawk soba went around the streets at night.
「夜鷹そば」という言葉は、今で
The term 'yotaka soba' is hardly used nowadays.
Compound of 夜鷹 (yotaka, 'nightjar') + そば (soba, 'buckwheat noodles'). The vendor was likened to the nightjar bird because both are active at night.