Japanese food is a gift to the world. Social media and foodies everywhere are in love with flavorful ramen, while understanding the hype with matcha! Since its inception, the world has fallen in love with the humble ramen. If foodies can't get their hands on a traditional bowl of ramen, the second-best thing is instant ramen. Furthermore, instant ramen is perfect for budgeters, college students, and those looking for a cheap and delicious meal. Despite the popularity of instant ramen in Western nations, many will agree that the best ramen can be found in Japan!
The Origins Of Traditional Ramen
The invention of ramen was influenced by Chinese settlers selling their noodles along with the ports of Japan's major cities in 1859. Japanese locals began eating at these establishments, leading some locals to concoct their noodle recipe from noodle carts (or yatai) on the city streets. Eventually, ramen evolved to incorporate a variety of flavors, which led to the creation of regional variations of this popular noodle dish. However, the base of ramen remains constant, which is a rich, umami stock known as dashi.
Through mingling with different parts of Japan and regional cuisines, ramen evolved into different regional variations of this beloved noodle soup. As a result, there are over 30 regional variations of ramen noodles in Japan! Today, ramen is sold as inexpensive street food and can be found in vending machines, train stations, and places known as ramen-ya.
The Birth Of Instant Ramen And Cup Noodles
Despite the popularity of fresh ramen, Momofuku Ando was hard at work developing a convenient way of eating ramen, working for years inside his shed in Osaka's Ikeda City. Finally, in 1958, after all his hard work, Mr. Ando invented the world's first chicken-flavored instant ramen! In 1971, he created the first 'cup noodle' for instant ramen after traveling to America and noticing that American supermarket managers crushed his instant noodles into a cup over boiling water. Mr. Ando's 'CUPNOODLES' was so popular he eventually created instant ramen for astronauts, which was his lifelong dream! Instant ramen may not be many people's idea of authentic ramen. Still, it's a convenient, cost-effective, and delicious alternative suitable for many lifestyles, especially for people moving out for the first time!
What Makes Japanese Ramen Superior Over Instant Ramen?
The origin stories of traditional ramen and its instant counterpart are unique. Undoubtedly, the creations of these food items revolutionized Japanese food and convenience food simultaneously. However, many may argue that compared to instant ramen, traditional ramen is just a notch above it, perhaps for the following reasons.
Firstly, its broth is delicious. Traditional ramen has a meaty broth with various flavors made from up to 40 ingredients! The broth is so diverse ramen is categorized in such a way:
- Shoyu (soy sauce)
- Shio or salt
- Miso (soybean paste)
- Tonkotsu (pork bone)
Meanwhile, instant ramen does have different flavors, such as pork, chicken, or vegetable varieties. However, many of the seasonings with instant ramen are limited compared to their traditional counterpart. Furthermore, some brands of instant ramen contain notoriously salty broth!
On a related, the best part about traditional ramen is that its broth is best consumed when it's cooled down. This is because foodies say that while consuming the noodles, the broth has time to mingle with other ingredients in the ramen, especially the starchy noodles!
- Did You Know? Foodies who want to learn more about ramen can visit Yokohama's Ramen Museum and Theme Park. There's also an Instant Ramen Museum by Nissin in Ikeda City!
Additionally, traditional ramen noodles are diverse. For instant ramen, it's common to indulge in generally thin and wavy noodles. However, there are many kinds of noodles for conventional ramen that vary in thickness, water content, color, and the degree of wave (or chijire) or shapes. Some ramen-ya let customers customize their ramen, including the kinds of noodles they would like, depending on its thickness or doneness.
Finally, there are many toppings that one can add to their traditional ramen! There's no rule or limit for toppings on Japanese ramen. However, popular toppings include soft-boiled eggs, wakame, bamboo shoots, Narutomaki (or fish cakes), and chashu (roast pork). Other seasonings and add-ins like green onions, moyashi (cooked bean sprouts), corn, kamaboko (steamed fish cake), and butter are also possible! The toppings are entirely dependent on the region AND the particular ramen cook.
Ramen has captured the love of many noodle lovers. Though the world is becoming more globalized, the streets of major global cities now have access to incredibly delicious ramen places. However, the convenience and love for instant ramen will refuse to die despite ramen's traditional success, especially for foodie budgeters and travelers.
