The origins of ramen can be traced back toYokohama Chinatown in the late 19th century. While the word "ramen" is a Japanese borrowing of the Chinese wordlāmiàn (拉麵), meaning "pulled noodles", the ramen does not actually derive from any lamian dishes. Lamian is a part of northern Chinese cuisine, whereas the ramen evolved from southern Chinese noodle dishes from regions such asGuangdong, reflecting the demographics of Chinese immigrants inYokohama.[3] Ramen was largely confined to theChinese community in Japan and was never popular nationwide until afterWorld War II (specifically theSecond Sino-Japanese War), following increased wheat consumption due to rice shortages and the return of millions of Japanese colonial settlers fromChina. In 1958,instant noodles were invented byMomofuku Ando, further popularizing the dish.
Ramen was originally looked down upon by the Japanese due toracial discrimination against the Chinese and its status as an inexpensive food associated with theworking class.[3] Today, ramen is considered anational dish of Japan, with many regional varieties and a wide range of toppings. Examples includeSapporo's rich miso ramen,Hakodate's salt-flavored ramen,Kitakata's thick, flat noodles in pork-and-niboshi broth,Tokyo-style ramen with soy-flavored chicken broth,Yokohama'sIekei ramen with soy-flavored pork broth,Wakayama's soy sauce and pork bone broth, andHakata's milkytonkotsu (pork bone) broth. Ramen is offered in various establishments and locations, with the best quality usually found in specialist ramen shops calledrāmen'ya (ラーメン屋).
Ramen's popularity has spread outside of Japan, becoming a cultural icon representing the country worldwide. InKorea, ramen is known both by its original name "ramen" (라멘) as well asramyeon (라면), a local variation on the dish. InChina, ramen is calledrìshì lāmiàn (日式拉面/日式拉麵 "Japanese-style lamian"). Ramen has also made its way into Western restaurant chains. Instant ramen was exported from Japan in 1971 and has since gained international recognition. The global popularity of ramen has sometimes led to the term being used misused in theAnglosphere as a catch-all for anynoodle soup dish.[2]
From Seiichi Yoshida,How to Prepare Delicious and Economical Chinese Dishes (1928)
The wordramen is a Japanese borrowing of theMandarin Chineselamian (拉麵, 'pulled noodles').[4][5] A common misconception is that ramen is a Japanese adaptation oflamian, but the two dishes have no direct relation, and how ramen came to adopt its name from lamian remains unclear.[6] Ramen evolved from southern Chinese noodle dishes, primarilyCantonese, as opposed to northern Chinese noodle dishes that may feature lamian.[3]
The wordramen (拉麺) first appeared in Japan in Seiichi Yoshida'sHow to Prepare Delicious and Economical Chinese Dishes (1928). In the book, Yoshida describes how to makeramen using flour andkansui, kneading it by hand, and stretching it with an illustration. He also states thatramen is better suited for soup or cold noodles than for baked noodles. In this case, however,ramen refers to actual lamian (hand-pulled noodles), not the noodle soup dish.[7]
There are various theories on how the dish came to be named "ramen", but the most plausible is that the term was misapplied by Japanese colonizers. After the end of World War II in 1945, millions of Japanese settler colonists were repatriated to Japan from China.[8] They may have labeled the southern Chinese noodle dishes in Japan "ramen", based on their superficial resemblance to lamian dishes they had encountered in northern China, particularly in the Japanese-backed puppet state ofManchukuo.[9] This timing aligns with the first mention oframen as a dish appearing in Hatsuko Kuroda'sEnjoyable Home Cooking (1947).[10]
Chinese immigrants in Japan initially served a wide variety of Chinese noodle soup dishes, and referred to them by their specific names. However, they were collectively referred to asNankin soba (南京そば;lit.'Nanjing noodles') by the Japanese.Nankinmachi (Nanjing Town) was the common Japanese term for areas where Chinese people settled,[11] and the Japanese used the term "Nankin" to describe newly imported Chinese things.[12] For example, in 1903, inYokohama Chinatown, then known asNankinmachi, there was a Nanjing noodle restaurant (南京蕎麦所,Nankin soba dokoro).[13]
The dish was renamedshina soba (支那そば;lit.'Chinese noodles') in 1910 by Kan'ichi Ozaki, the founder of the first specialized ramen shop.[14][15] The Japanese regarded Chinese civilization as inferior and this name change reflected broader imperialist attitudes within Japanese society towards China. The wordwashoku was used for Japanese cuisine,yoshoku symbolized Western cuisine, and Chinese cuisine was calledshinaryori. In the decades following,shina soba would be the most commonly used name for ramen.[12][16]
AfterWorld War II, the word shina (支那, meaning 'China') acquired a pejorative connotation through its association with anti-Chinese racism and Japanese imperialism. The word shina was replaced withchūka across various terms in the Japanese language.Chūka is derived from the Japanese reading ofZhōnghuá (中华;中華; 'central beauty'), an official name used by the two governments claiming sovereignty over China, theRepublic of China (中華民國;Zhōnghuá Mínguó) andPeople's Republic of China (中华人民共和国;Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó).Shina ryōri was changed tochūka ryōri, and likewise, the termchūka soba (中華そば;lit.'Chinese noodles') replacedshina soba.[16][17]
TheNissin Chikin Ramen, created byMomofuku Ando, was released in 1958, and the nameramen (ラーメン) began to spread across the country.[17] Todayramen is the most popular name, butchūka soba remains prevalent in areas such asTakayama.[18] The two terms can be used interchangeably, thoughchūka soba is also often used to refer to more "classic" styles of ramen.[19][20]
Rairaiken (来々軒), the first ramen shop, founded in 1910 by Kan'ichi Ozaki inAsakusa, Tokyo. The signs advertise "Chinesesoba" (支那蕎麥) and "Cantonese cuisine" (廣東料理).
Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheatnoodle soups.[21][22][23][24][25] It is first recorded to have appeared inYokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century.[26][27] However, the dishes ancestral to ramen already existed in Japan within the Chinese community since the 1880s. Although ramen takes its name fromlamian, it did not originate from the hand-pulled lamian noodles of northern China, since the noodles used in ramen are cut, not pulled.[6] Rather, ramen is largely derived from southern Chinese noodle dishes, particularly those fromCantonese cuisine.[3] This is reflective of Yokohama Chinatown's demographics, as the majority of Chinese settlers there wereCantonese, followed byShanghainese.[28][29][30]
Sōmen is another type of noodle of Chinese origin made from wheat flour, but in Japan it is distinguished from the noodles used in ramen. The noodles used for ramen today are calledchūkamen (中華麺;lit.'Chinese noodles') and are made withkansui (鹹水, alkaline salt water).
The official diary ofShōkoku-ji Temple in Kyoto,Inryōken Nichiroku (蔭涼軒日録), mentions eatingjīngdàimiàn (経帯麪), noodles withkansui, in 1488.[31][32]Jīngdàimiàn is the noodle of theYuan dynasty. This is the earliest record ofkansui noodles being eaten in Japan.
One theory says that ramen was introduced to Japan during the 1660s by theneo-Confucian scholarZhu Shunsui, who served as an advisor toTokugawa Mitsukuni after he became a refugee in Japan to escapeManchu rule. Mitsukuni became the first Japanese person to eat ramen. However, the noodles Mitsukuni ate were a mixture of starch made fromlotus root and wheat flour, which is different fromchūkamen withkansui.[32]
According to historians, the more plausible theory is that ramen was introduced to Japan in the late 19th[21][33] century byChinese immigrants living inYokohama Chinatown.[27][26] By 1884, Chinese noodle soups had grown popular in Yokohama,Kobe,Nagasaki, andHakodate, however, this popularity was mostly concentrated among Chinese immigrants. The Chinese served a variety of noodle soup dishes and referred to them by their specific names, such aschar siu tang mian (roast pork noodle soup) androusi tang mian (sliced pork noodle soup).[21][34][15][14] The Japanese referred to all these noodle soup dishes asNankin soba ('Nanjing noodles').[3] These noodle soups were particularly in high demand among Chinese students, who missed the cuisine of their homelands and found Japanese food bland in comparison.[6]
The Japanese government passed a law in 1899 allowing resident aliens to own businesses outside their designated settlements. This development, in addition to increased labor demands, led to a spread of Chinese immigrants throughout Japan.[3] By 1900, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine fromGuangzhou and Shanghai offered a simple dish of noodles, a few toppings, and a broth flavored with salt and pork bones. Many Chinese living in Japan also pulled portable food stalls, selling ramen. By the mid-1900s, these stalls used a type of a musical horn called acharumera (チャルメラ, from the Portuguesecharamela) to advertise their presence, a practice some vendors still retain via a loudspeaker and a looped recording.[6]
A bowl of ramen from the secondRairaiken in Yūtenji, opened in 1933 by Fu Xinglei (傅興雷), one of the twelve Chinese cooks from the firstRairaiken store in Asakusa
According to ramen expert Hiroshi Osaki, the first specialized ramen shop wasRairaiken [ja] (来々軒), which opened in 1910 inAsakusa, Tokyo. The Japanese founder, Kan'ichi Ozaki (尾崎貫一), employed twelveCantonese cooks fromYokohama'sChinatown and served the ramen arranged for Japanese customers.[35][36] In contrast to most Japanese, who held prejudiced views towardChinese cuisine, Ozaki grew up in Yokohama, where he experienced Chinese food firsthand and witnessed the popularity of noodle dishes in the city's Chinatown.[6] Early versions of ramen were wheat noodles in broth topped withchar siu.[21] Ozaki changed the name of the noodle dishes fromNankin soba toShina soba.[34] The store also served standard Cantonese fare likewontons andshumai, and is sometimes regarded as the origin of Japanese-Chinese fusion dishes likechūkadon andtenshindon.[37][38]
Rairaiken's original store closed in 1976, but related stores with the same name currently exist in other places, and have connections to the first store.[12]
In 1925, a Chinese traveller named Fan Qinxing fromZhejiang province opened a ramen shop calledGenraiken inKitakata as an homage to the popularRairaiken.[6]
In 1933, Fu Xinglei (傅興雷), one of the twelve original chefs, opened a secondRairaiken in Yūtenji,Meguro Ward, Tokyo.[39]
In 1968, one of Kan'ichi Ozaki's apprentices opened a store namedShinraiken ("New Raiken") inChiba Prefecture.[39]
In 2020, Ozaki's grandson and great-great-grandson re-opened the originalRairaiken as a store insideShin-Yokohama Rāmen Museum.[40]
Women eatingshina soba at ashina soba stall, Tokyo, 1956
After Japan's defeat inWorld War II, theAmerican militaryoccupied the country from 1945 to 1952.[21] In December 1945, Japan recorded its worst rice harvest in 42 years,[21][41] which caused food shortages as Japan had drastically reduced rice production during the war as production shifted to colonies in China and Formosa island.[21] The US flooded the market with cheap wheat flour to deal with food shortages.[21]
During the same period, millions of Japanese colonizers returned from China and other parts of East Asia. It was only in 1947, in the post-war period, that the termramen was first recorded in Japan to refer to the southern Chinese noodle dish that originated inYokohama Chinatown,[10] possibly because it superficially resembled thelamian dishes they had encountered in northern China. Many Japanese repatriates were familiar with Chinese cuisine and openedyatai (food stalls) selling ramen.Jiaozi, a staple food of northern China, also began to be served as a complement to ramen at these stalls.[6] These jiaozi were calledgyoza by the Japanese, a name likely adopted in the puppet state ofManchukuo and derived from theManchu wordgiyose.[42][43]
From 1948 to 1951, bread consumption in Japan increased from 262,121 tons to 611,784 tons,[21] but wheat also found its way into ramen, which most Japanese ate atblack market food vendors to survive as the government food distribution system ran about 20 days behind schedule.[21] Although the Americans maintained Japan's wartime ban on outdoor food vending,[21] flour was secretly diverted from commercial mills into the black markets,[21] where nearly 90 percent of stalls were under the control of gangsters related to theyakuza who extorted vendors for protection money.[21] Thousands of ramen vendors were arrested during the occupation.[21]
By 1950 wheat flour exchange controls were removed and restrictions on food vending loosened, which further boosted the number of ramen vendors: private companies even rented outyatai starter kits consisting of noodles, toppings, bowls, and chopsticks.[21] Ramenyatai provided a rare opportunity for small-scale postwar entrepreneurship.[21] The Americans also aggressively advertised the nutritional benefits of wheat and animal protein.[21] The combination of these factors caused wheat noodles to gain prominence in Japan's rice-based culture.[21] Gradually, ramen became associated with urban life.[21]
A hot bowl oftonkotsu ramen in Tokyo
In 1958,instant noodles were invented byMomofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman ofNissin Foods. Named the greatest Japaneseinvention of the 20th century in a Japanese poll,[44] instant ramen allowed anyone to make an approximation of this dish simply by adding boiling water.
Beginning in the 1980s, ramen became a Japanese cultural icon and was studied around the world. At the same time, local varieties of ramen were hitting the national market and could even be ordered by their regional names. Aramen museum opened inYokohama in 1994.[45]
Today ramen is one of Japan's most popular foods, with Tokyo alone containing around 5,000 ramen shops,[21] and more than 24,000 ramen shops across Japan.[46]Tsuta, a ramen restaurant in Tokyo'sSugamo district, received aMichelin star in December 2015.[46]
A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Usually varieties of ramen are differentiated by the type of broth and tare used. There are five components to a bowl of ramen: tare, aroma oil, broth, noodles, and toppings.[47]
The type of noodles used in ramen are calledchūkamen (中華麺;lit.'Chinese noodles'), which are derived from traditional Chinesealkaline noodles known asjiǎnshuǐ miàn (鹼水麵). Mostchūkamen are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, andkansui [ja], derived from the Chinesejiǎnshuǐ (鹼水), a type of alkaline mineral water containingsodium carbonate and usuallypotassium carbonate, as well as sometimes a small amount ofphosphoric acid. Ramen is not to be confused with different kinds of noodle such assoba,udon, orsomen.
The origin ofjiǎnshuǐ isn't clear. It is said to originate inInner Mongolia. Making noodles withjiǎnshuǐ lends them a yellowish hue as well as a firm texture.[48][49] But since there is no naturaljiǎnshuǐ orkansui in Japan, it was difficult to makejiǎnshuǐ miàn orchūkamen before theMeiji Restoration (1868).
Ramen comes in various shapes and lengths. It may be thick, thin, or even ribbon-like, as well as straight or wrinkled.
Traditionally, ramen noodles were made by hand, but with growing popularity, many ramen restaurants prefer to use noodle-making machines to meet the increased demand and improve quality. Automatic ramen-making machines imitating manual production methods have been available since the mid-20th century produced by such Japanese manufacturers as Yamato MFG.[50] and others.[51]
Similar to Chinese soup bases, ramen soup is generally made from chicken or pork, though vegetable and fish stock is also used.[52] This base stock is often combined withdashi stock components such askatsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes),niboshi (dried baby sardines),[52] saba bushi (mackerel flakes),shiitake, andkombu (kelp). Ramen stock is usually divided into two categories: chintan and paitan.
Chintan (清湯), derived from the Chineseqīngtāng (清湯; 'clear soup'), is a clear stock, made by simmering ingredients and frequently skimming foam and scum off the top of the pot.[47] Chintan stocks are the most common kind, and can be made from chicken, pork, vegetables and/or niboshi.
Paitan (白湯), derived from the Chinesebaitang (白湯; 'white soup'), is a broth with an opaque white colored appearance and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Paitan stock is made by boiling pork or chicken bones at a high heat for hours at a time, allowing the bones to emulsify into the soup. The most well-known and common paitan stock istonkotsu (豚骨, 'pork bone'; not to be confused withtonkatsu). Althoughtonkotsu is merely a kind of broth, some people considertonkotsu ramen (specialty of Kyushu, its birthplace) a distinct flavor category.[53] When chicken bones are used to make a paitan stock, the resulting soup is calledtori paitan (鶏白湯).
Tare is a sauce that is used to flavor the broth. The main purpose of tare is to provide salt to the broth, but tare also usually adds other flavors, such as umami. There are three main kinds of tare.[47]
Shio (塩, 'salt') ramen is the oldest of the four types.[53] This tare is made from cooking alcohols likemirin andsake,umami ingredients like kombu, niboshi andMSG, and salt. Occasionally pork bones are also used, but they are not boiled as long as they are fortonkotsu ramen, so the soup remains light and clear. In shio ramen,chāshū is sometimes swapped for lean chicken meatballs, and pickled plums andkamaboko (a slice of processed fish roll sometimes served as a frilly white circle with a pink or red spiral callednarutomaki) are popular toppings as well. Noodle texture and thickness varies amongshio ramen, but they are usually straight rather than curly.Hakodate ramen is a well-known version ofshio ramen in Japan.
Shōyu (醤油, 'soy sauce') tare is similar to shio tare, but with the addition of soy sauce, which boosts the salty and umami flavor even further. Adding a soy sauce seasoning to the serving bowl before the soup and noodles is a common preparation method for noodle soups fromShanghai andJiangsu, as can be seen in the Chinese dishyangchunmian. Ramen usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones, although this is not always the case. It is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots ormenma, scallions,ninjin ('carrot'),kamaboko ('fish cakes'),nori ('seaweed'), boiled eggs, bean sprouts orblack pepper; occasionally the soup will also contain chili oil or Chinese spices, and some shops serve sliced beef instead of the usualchāshū.
Miso (味噌) ramen reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Sapporo, Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copiousmiso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes withtonkotsu or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup.Miso ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor, so it stands up to a variety of flavorful toppings: spicy bean paste ortōbanjan (豆瓣醤 [zh]), butter and corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, cabbage,sesame seeds, white pepper, chilli and chopped garlic are common. The noodles are typically thick, curly, and slightly chewy.
Seasonings commonly added to ramen are white pepper,black pepper, butter,chili pepper, sesame seeds, and crushed garlic.[55] Soup recipes and methods of preparation tend to be closely guarded secrets.
Mosttonkotsu ramen restaurants offer a system known askae-dama (替え玉), where customers who have finished their noodles can request a "refill" (for a few hundred yen more) to be put into their remaining soup.[56]
While standard versions of ramen are available throughout Japan since theTaishō period, the last few decades have shown a proliferation of regional variations, commonly referred to asgotouchiramen (ご当地ラーメン "regional ramen"). Some of these which have gone on to national prominence are:
Sapporo, the capital ofHokkaido, is especially famous for its ramen. Most people in Japan associate Sapporo with its richmiso ramen, which was invented there and which is ideal for Hokkaido's harsh, snowy winters. Sapporomiso ramen is typically topped with sweetcorn, butter, bean sprouts, finely chopped pork, and garlic, and sometimes local seafood such asscallop,squid, and crab.Hakodate, another city of Hokkaido, is famous for its salt-flavored ramen,[57] whileAsahikawa in the north of the island offers a soy sauce-flavored variation.[58] InMuroran, many ramen restaurants offerMuroran curry ramen.[59]
Kitakata ramen is known for its rather thick, flat, curly noodles served in a pork-and-niboshi broth. The area within the former city limits has the highest per-capita number of ramen establishments. Ramen has such prominence in the region that locally, the wordsoba usually refers to ramen, and not to actualsoba which is referred to asnihon soba ('Japanese soba').
Tokyo-style ramen consists of slightly thin, curly noodles served in a soy-flavored chicken broth. The Tokyo-style broth typically has a touch ofdashi, as old ramen establishments in Tokyo often originate fromsoba eateries. Standard toppings are chopped scallion,menma, sliced pork, kamaboko, egg, nori, and spinach.Ikebukuro,Ogikubo andEbisu are three areas in Tokyo known for their ramen.[60]
Yokohama ramen specialty is calledIe-kei (家系). It consists of thick, straight noodles served in a soy flavored pork broth similar totonkotsu, sometimes referred to as,tonkotsu-shoyu. The standard toppings are braised pork (chāshū), boiled spinach, sheets of nori, often with shreddedWelsh onion (negi) and a soft- or hard-boiled egg. It is traditional for customers to customize the softness of the noodles, the richness of the broth and the amount of oil they want.
Hakata ramen originates fromHakata district ofFukuoka city inKyushu. It has a rich, milky, pork-bonetonkotsu broth and rather thin, non-curly and resilient noodles. Often, distinctive toppings such as crushed garlic,beni shōga (pickled ginger), sesame seeds, and spicypickled mustard greens (karashi takana) are left on tables for customers to serve themselves. Ramenstalls in Hakata andTenjin are well known within Japan. Recent trends have made Hakata ramen one of the most popular types in Japan, and several chain restaurants specializing in Hakata ramen can be found all over the country.
Nabeyaki ramen is a specialty ofSusaki City, as well as other cities in westernKōchi Prefecture. Nabeyaki ramen is made with a chicken-based broth, thin noodles and a soy tare, all served boiling hot in an enamelled pot. Toppings vary, but mainstays include a raw egg that poaches in the bowl, sliced spring onions andchikuwa fish cakes.[62]
Nagoya ramen specialties include "Taiwan ramen", which despite its name originated in Nagoya and features a very spicy broth. It became famous in the 1980s during a fad for super hot food. It bears some resemblance todanzai noodles but has both a spicy broth and spicy minced meat resulting in an extremely spicy dish.[63]
There are many related,Chinese-influenced noodle dishes in Japan. The following are often served alongside ramen in ramen establishments. They do not include noodle dishes considered traditionally Japanese, such assoba orudon, which are almost never served in the same establishments as ramen.
Nagasakichampon. Japanese version ofFujianesemenmian (焖面). The noodles are thicker than ramen but thinner than udon.Champon is topped with a variety of ingredients, mostly seafood, stir-fried and dressed in a starchy sauce. The stir-fried ingredients are poured directly over the cooked noodles, with the sauce acting as a soup.
Tan-men derived is a mild, usually salty soup, served with a mix of sautéed vegetables and seafood/pork. The name is derived from the generic Chinese term for any wheat noodle soup (汤面;tāngmiàn). The origins of tanmen are attributed to Japanese chefs who repatriated from the puppet state of Manchukuo after World War II and sought to recreate the flavors of the Chinese home-style cooking they had encountered.[64] Not to be confused withtantan-men (see after).
Wantan-men. Japanese version ofCantonesewonton noodles. It has long, straight noodles andwonton, served in a mild, usually salty soup.
Tsukemen ('dipping noodles'). The noodles and soup are served in separate bowls. The diner dips the noodles in the soup before eating. Can be served hot or chilled.
Hiroshma-typeTantan-men, or soupless dandan noodle
Tantan-men (担担麺). Japanese version ofSichuanesedan dan noodles. Ramen in a reddish, spicy chili and sesame soup, usually containing minced pork, garnished with choppedscallion andchili and occasionally topped with spinach or bok choi (chingensai).
Sūrātanmen orsanrātanmen (酸辣湯麺, 'noodles inhot and sour soup'). Japanese version ofSichuanesehot and sour soup, but served with long noodles. The topping ingredients are sautéed and a thickener is added before the mix is poured on the soup and the noodles.
Abura soba ('oil-noodles'). Ramen and toppings served without the soup, but with a small quantity of oily soy-based sauce instead.
Hiyashi-chūka (冷やし中華, 'chilled Chinese'). Japanese version ofShanghaineseliangbanmian (凉拌面). The dish was originally sold in Japan under the borrowed Chinese nameryanbanmyen.[65][66] It is a summer dish of chilled ramen on a plate with various toppings (typically thin strips ofomelet, ham, cucumber and tomato) and served with a vinegary soy dressing andkarashi (Japanese mustard). It was first produced at the Ryutei, a Chinese restaurant inSendai. It is also known asreimen, especially in western Japan.
Ramen is offered in various types of restaurants and locations including ramen shops,izakaya drinking establishments, lunch cafeterias,karaoke halls, and amusement parks. Many ramen restaurants only have a counter and a chef. In these shops, the meals are paid for in advance at a ticket machine to streamline the process.[67] Some restaurants also provideHalal ramen (using chicken) in Osaka and Kyoto
However, the best quality ramen is usually only available in specialistramen-ya restaurants. Asramen-ya restaurants offer mainly ramen dishes, they tend to lack variety in the menu. Besides ramen, some of the dishes generally available in aramen-ya restaurant include other dishes fromJapanese Chinese cuisine such asfried rice (calledchahan oryakimeshi),jiaozi (calledgyoza), and beer.Ramen-ya often feature Chinese-inspired decorations. The bowls used to serve ramen may be designed to include Chinese motifs such asyunleiwen,loong,fenghuang, and the character fordouble happiness.[68]Chinese spoons are more commonly used to drink the soup in ramen, as opposed to the Japanese ladle (otamajakushi), which is typically used for soba and udon.[69]
From January 2020 to September 2021 during theCOVID-19 pandemic, many ramen restaurants were temporarily closed, with 34 chains filing for bankruptcy by September 2020. Ramen restaurants are typically narrow and seat customers closely, makingsocial distancing difficult.[70]
In Korea, there is a variation of ramen calledramyeon (라면;拉麵), made much spicier than ramen. There are different varieties, such askimchi-flavoredramyeon. While usually served with egg or vegetables such as carrots and scallions, some restaurants serve variations oframyeon containing additional ingredients such asdumplings,tteok, or cheese as toppings.[71] Famous ramyeon brands includeShin Ramyeon andBuldak Ramyeon.
Outside of Asia, particularly in areas with a large demand forAsian cuisine, there are restaurants specializing in Japanese-style foods such as ramen noodles. For example,Wagamama, a UK-based restaurant chain serving pan-Asian food, serves a ramen noodle soup and in the United States and Canada,Jinya Ramen Bar servestonkotsu ramen.
Chef Antonio de Livier ofMexico City is credited with a Mexican variation calledbirriamen (a portmanteau ofbirria and ramen) where the broth incorporates the consomé broth that the beef, lamb or goat is cooked in. The variation later gained popularity in theLos Angeles area.[72][73]
Instant ramen noodles were exported from Japan byNissin Foods starting in 1971, bearing the name "Oodles of Noodles".[74] One year later, it was re-branded "NissinCup Noodles", packaged in afoam food container (It is referred to asCup Ramen in Japan), and subsequently saw a growth in international sales. Over time, the termramen became used in North America to refer to other instant noodles.
While some research has claimed that consuming instant ramen two or more times a week increases the likelihood of developing heart disease and other conditions, including diabetes and stroke, especially in women, those claims have not been reproduced and no study has isolated instant ramen consumption as an aggravating factor.[75][76] However, instant ramen noodles, known to have a serving of 43 g, consist of very high sodium.[77] At least 1,760 mg of sodium are found in one packet alone. It consists of 385 kilocalories, 55.7 g of carbohydrates, 14.5 g of total fat, 6.5 g of saturated fat, 7.9 g of protein, and 0.6 mg of thiamine.[78][better source needed]
InAkihabara, Tokyo, vending machines distribute warm ramen in a steel can known asramen kan (らーめん缶). It is produced by a popular local ramen restaurant in flavors such astonkotsu and curry, and contains noodles, soup,menma, and pork. It is intended as a quick snack, and includes a small folded plastic fork.[79]
In October 2010, anemoji was approved forUnicode 6.0U+1F35C🍜STEAMING BOWL for "Steaming Bowl", that depicts Japanese ramen noodles in a bowl of steaming broth with chopsticks.[80] In 2015, the icon was added to Emoji 1.0.[81]
The main storyline ofTampopo, a 1985 Japanese comedy billed as the first "ramen western", concerns a trucker helping a widowed ramen shop owner reach the top of her craft.
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^Elkins, Caroline; Pedersen, Susan, eds. (2005).Settler colonialism in the twentieth century: projects, practices, legacies. New York: Routledge.ISBN978-1-136-07738-8.
^Ayao, Okumura. "Japan's Ramen Romance."Japan Quarterly 48.3 (2001): 66.ProQuest Asian Business & Reference
^abCwiertka, Katarzyna Joanna (2006).Modern Japanese cuisine: food, power and national identity. Reaktion Books. p. 144.ISBN978-1-86189-298-0.However,Shina soba acquired the status of 'national' dish in Japan under a different name:rāmen. The change of name fromShina soba torāmen took place during the 1950s and '60s. The wordShina, used historically in reference to China, acquired a pejorative connotation through its association with Japanese imperialist association in Asia and was replaced with the wordChūka, which derived from the Chinese name for the People's Republic. For a while, the termChūka soba was used, but ultimately the namerāmen caught on, inspired by the chicken-flavored instant version of the dish that went on sale in 1958 and spread nationwide in no time.
^Han, Eric C. (2014).Rise of a Japanese Chinatown: Yokohama, 1894-1972. Harvard East Asian monographs. Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center.ISBN978-1-68417-542-0.
^仏書刊行会 (1913). Bussho Publishing Society (ed.).大日本仏教全書 [Complete works of Buddhism in Japan] (in Japanese). Bussho Publishing Society. p. 1174.doi:10.11501/952839.
^abOkumura, Ayao (25 November 2017).麺の歴史 ラーメンはどこから来たか [The History of Noodles: Where Did Ramen Come From]. Kadokawa Sophia Bunko (in Japanese). KADOKAWA / Kadokawa Gakugei Shuppan.ISBN978-4044002923.
^Ishibashi, Takao, 2000. Daishin Teikoku (The Great Qing Empire).
^Norman, Jerry L.; Branner, David Prager; Dede, Keith (2013).A comprehensive Manchu-English dictionary. Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center.ISBN978-1-68417-069-2.
^ab"10 Great Tastes of Japan"(PDF).Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Government of Japan. 18 June 2010. p.11: Noodles.Archived(PDF) from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved13 July 2021.
Whole web page which links to the PDF above:"Publications".Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Government of Japan. Japanese Cuisine and Ingredients.Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved13 July 2021.
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