 Tonkotsu ramen | |
| Alternative names | Hakata ramen |
|---|---|
| Type | Noodle soup |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Region or state | Fukuoka |
| Created by | Tokio Miyamoto |
| Invented | 1937 |
| Main ingredients | |
| Variations | Kagoshima ramen |
Tonkotsu ramen (豚骨ラーメン) is aramen dish that originated inKurume,[1][2][3] Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is a specialty dish on the island of Kyushu.
Thebroth for tonkotsu ramen is based on pork bones, which is what the wordtonkotsu (豚骨/とんこつ) means in Japanese.[4][1][5] It is prepared by boiling the bones in water for up to eighteen hours, at which point the soup becomes cloudy in appearance.[4][1][2] Additional broth ingredients can include onion, garlic,spring onions, ginger, pork back fat,pig's trotters, oil, and chicken carcass.[4] The dish is traditionally topped withchāshū (slicedpork belly), and additional ingredients can includekombu,kikurage,shōyu, chili bean paste, andsesame seeds.[4][1]
The traditional preparation method for tonkotsu ramen is for the noodles to be hard in the center.[2] Someramen shops allow customers to select the level of firmness, includingfutsu for regular or standard,harigane for very hard,barikata foral dente, andyawamen for soft.[2] Some restaurants also provide a second order of noodles if requested by the customer, in a system referred to askaedama.[2]
Tonkotsu ramen was invented in 1937 by Tokio Miyamoto, ayatai food vendor, inKurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, in northern Kyushu. The dish was further refined to its milky appearance by Katsumi Sugino when he accidentally overcooked the broth.[3] In Fukuoka, the dish is often referred to asHakata ramen (博多ラーメン), with Hakata being the historical name of central Fukuoka.[1] It was originally prepared as an affordable and easily preparedfast food for laborers atfish markets.[2]
Some ramen restaurants in Fukuoka offer customers a choice of noodle firmness levels, which has become a recognizable feature of tonkotsu ramen culture.[6][7]
Common firmness levels:
Media related toTonkotsu-ramen at Wikimedia Commons| Shushoku |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okazu | |||||||||
| Soup (shirumono) | |||||||||
| Set menu | |||||||||
| Beverages |
| ||||||||
| Snacks,sweets, andwagashi | |||||||||
| Fruit | |||||||||
| Ingredients and condiments | |||||||||
| Utensils | |||||||||
| Lists | |||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
