What is ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup made with wheat noodles in a rich broth, usually topped with sliced pork, soft-boiled egg, green onions, seaweed and bamboo shoots.
Ramen came to Japan from China in the late 1800s and early 1900s and became hugely popular after World War II. Ramen noodles are made from wheat flour, water, salt and kansui, an alkaline mineral water that gives them their springy texture and yellow color.
There are four main broth styles. Shoyu is flavored with soy sauce, shio with salt, miso with fermented soybean paste and tonkotsu is a creamy broth made by boiling pork bones for many hours. Each region of Japan has its own specialties, such as Sapporo miso ramen and Hakata tonkotsu ramen from Fukuoka.
Instant ramen
Instant ramen was invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958, and Cup Noodles followed in 1971. Today, people around the world eat more than 120 billion servings of instant noodles each year. Ramen shops have also become popular in cities worldwide.
Did You Know?
In Japan, slurping ramen loudly is considered polite. It cools the noodles and shows that you are enjoying the meal.