All About Japanese Ramen Noodles | History, Types & Etiquette

● History of Japanese Ramen Noodles

Japanese ramen is a popular noodle dish sought after not only by Japanese but many people of the world. While shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), tonkotsu (pork bone broth), and miso (soy bean paste) are known flavors of ramen, regional specialties and the originality of each ramen shop extend the world of ramen, a dish that’s increasingly becoming a national dish of Japan. Let’s dig into this special noodle soup and learn everything about it!

Ramen is famously known as a Japanese food nowadays, but its roots rest in China. Various theories exist about how it came to Japan but the first known “Chuka-men” (aka Chinese noodles) in Japan was called “keitai-men” and it dates back to 1488 C.E.! When Japan ended its isolation policy and opened up to the rest of the world in 1859 C.E., Other noodle dishes started to cross the sea from China to Japan and the trend continued through the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912 C.E.). The name “ramen” didn’t exist quite yet back then, though. Instead, the new noodle dishes from China were called “Nanking soba”, “Shina soba” (Shina is a Japanese archaic name for China), or “Chuka soba” (“Chinese soba”), borrowing a familiar term from a common Japanese noodle dish, soba.

After the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake destroyed many ramen shops centered around Tokyo and Yokohama, yatai stalls—which were easy to set up—began to pop up all over Japan. Many closed down during the World War II, but ramen became a popular dish everywhere as the number of ramen yatai stalls increased after the war and regional varieties began to appear.

Then came the birth of instant ramen noodles that changed the world of ramen! In 1958, the world’s first instant ramen, Nissin Chicken Ramen was created in Ikeda City, Osaka. This invention helped settle the ramen culture in Japanese homes and solidified the name “ramen” across the country. Since then, a whole variety of ramen has been produced. Today, the evolution that began with the birth of instant ramen is not showing any sign to stop and ramen is extending its reach throughout the world as a popular Japanese food.