Luxury for Less than a Dollar!

1. Ramen originated from China.

Until the 1950s, it was called shina soba or Chinese-style noodle soup. Later, the Japanese started calling it “ramen” a Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese lamian.

2. The instant ramen noodle was invented in 1958.

The founder of Nissin Food spent an entire year researching and perfecting his flash-frying method as a response to the food shortage in post-war Japan. After a series of trials and errors, he eventually came up with the first instant ramen “Chikin Ramen” on August 25, 1958.

3. Ramen was considered a luxury item at one time!

When Ramen noodles first arrived in Japan, it was cheaper to buy fresh udon noodles then it was to buy instant ramen noodles and they were considered a luxury item. As the cost went down over time, you can now buy instant ramen for a fraction of the cost of the cheapest bowl of noodles in Japanese restaurants. Making these instant noodles extremely popular among lower-income families and students.

4. In 1971, Nissin introduced the Cup Noodles.

In 1971, Cup Noodles (also known as Cup Ramen) was invented and it forever transformed the way instant noodles are consumed throughout the world.

5. A widely televised hostage crisis gave the Cup Noodles a boost in popularity.

From a luxury item to a convenient meal, Cup Noodles came to be known as an emergency food when it played a vital role in a Nagano hostage crisis in February 1972. The hostage crisis was broadly televised for several days. Media coverage showed police officers eating Cup Noodles and this helped popularized instant noodles.

6. Instant noodles are the first type of noodles to be eaten in space.

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi packed and ate this ramen on the second day of his journey aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

7. Ramen has four main flavours.

Your broth options will usually fall into four categories according to its base flavor: shio (salt-based ramen), shoyu (soy sauce-based), miso (soybean paste-based), and tonkotsu (pork bone broth ramen).

8. Varieties of Ramen

Not only do you have choices of broth base but there are also lots of ramen variations. So many there’s no definite number, some say there are 19 official ramen styles while others claim there are over 30.

Here are some of the most popular region-based versions:

Tokyo style – slightly thin, curly noodles served in a shoyu-based broth. Chicken stock and dashi are common ingredients here.

Sapporo style – miso ramen, with thick, robust noodles. It’s commonly topped with stir-fried bean sprouts, cabbage, sweet corn, and ground pork.

Hakata style ­– tonkotsu broth usually seasoned with shio, topped with thin slices of chashu, wood-ear mushroom, beni-shoga, and spicy mustard greens

Kitikata style – thick, flat, curly noodles served in pork and niboshi broth originating from the city of Kitikata

Yokohama style (Iekei) – thick, straight noodles in a soy-flavored pork broth similar to tonkotsu. Usually topped with spinach.

Kyoto style – pork and chicken-based broth with roast pork, bamboo, scallions, and nori

9. The shelf life of instant noodles ranges from two to 12 months.
10. Make sure you slurp your ramen!

In Japan, slurping is not considered rude. You are expected to slurp your noodles not because of etiquette or as a way to show your appreciation to the chef but as a matter of eating technique. The Japanese believe the best way to eat ramen without burning your tongue is by slurping the noodles. This technique is believed to aerate the noodles and broth while also enhancing the aroma.