The story of ramen, the Japanese delicacy that was born in China  

Who doesn’t love slurping up a bowl of soupy ramen? Ramen has proven to be a versatile dish that’s open to endless possibilities. Whether you prefer your broth savoury and soy-sauced or rich and miso-flavoured, this noodle soup is sure to leave you satisfied and craving for more! Though ramen is known to be a Japanese delicacy, it originated in China. Let’s take a look into the journey and rise of ramen.  

China: The birthplace of ramen 
Ramen originated in China, and it was the Chinese immigrants who brought the concept of noodles in a soupy broth to Japan in the late 1800s. In ancient China, the dish was known as lamian. But did you know that the first Chinese noodles served in Japan were not referred to as ramen? Yes, they were called Shina soba. Shina meant China in archaic Japanese, and soba meant noodles. However, because the word Shina had offensive connotations, it fell out of favour and was replaced by ‘ramen’. Ramen is simply the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word lamian, in which la means pulled, and mian means noodles: a fun fact to pass around to your friends! 

World War II and Momofuku Ando’s instant ramen 
During post-World War II, Japan was facing a severe food shortage. To add to this, street food vendors were prohibited from conserving rations. Bread and wheat were also in short supply. Therefore, the only way to get ramen in those days was from the black market! As a result, illegal food vendors flourished, and thousands were arrested for selling ramen. This, however, was about to change. Momofuku Ando, a Taiwanese–Japanese entrepreneur who saw people struggle, set out to create a local and easy-to-cook version of ramen. For years, he experimented with various recipes. Finally, he came up with dried noodles and a seasoning mix that could be quickly cooked when added to boiling water. Ando introduced his dish to the market in 1958 and eventually founded Nissin Food. The easy-to-cook noodles became a hit in no time.  

However, Ando didn’t stop here. He introduced yet another revolutionary ramen product in 1966: Instant cup noodles. Yes, we are talking about the ramen that is there in a paper cup and can be cooked by simply adding hot water. These cup noodles too very popular instantly.  

The many variations of Ramen  
At the turn of the 20th century, a Tokyo noodle shop called Rai Rai Ken popularised what is now known as modern ramen. The Chinese chef of the restaurant served noodles in a salty broth with roasted pork, fish cake and nori, a type of seaweed, on top. The dish revolutionised ramen to an extent that these ingredients are still considered classic ramen toppings!  

In Japan, there are many regional variations of ramen. Miso ramen (broth made of soy paste) originated in Hokkaido. The now-famous Hakata tonkatsu ramen (ramen with pork bone broth) was created in Fukuoka but by accident! What happened was that the soup had been overcooked, making the pork broth extra milky. And the resulting taste was beyond delicious!  

Ramen enters the US  
After making the whole of Japan its fan, ramen made its way to the US. The American restaurant mogul David Chang is credited with introducing this noodle to the United States. In 2004, Chang opened the Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City. You guessed it right! It was named after the genius who invented instant noodles. It was Chang’s restaurant that made Americans see ramen as a delicious cuisine rather than a quick and cheap meal. A few years later, Ippudo, a Japanese ramen chain, opened its first American outlet. Since then, several other ramen chains have opened in the United States, and many local shops are attempting to perfect the art of ramen making. Gradually, ramen spread to many parts of the world including India.