🍜
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, such as the ''
tonkotsu is a ramen dish that originated in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, and it is a speciality dish in both Fukuoka and Kyushu. The soup broth is based on pork bones and other ingredients, which are typically boiled for se ...
'' (pork bone broth) ramen of
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
and the ''miso'' ramen of Hokkaido.


History


Etymology

The word ''ramen'' is a Japanese borrowing of the Mandarin Chinese '' lāmiàn'' (, "pulled noodles"). However, historian
Barak Kushner Barak Kushner (born 7 April 1968) is Professor of East Asian History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He has written and edited numerous books and articles and has spoken on a range of East Asian histor ...
argues that this borrowing occurred retroactively and that various independent Japanese corruptions of Chinese words had already led to Japanese people calling this Chinese noodle dish "ramen". One theory suggests that the Japanese mistook the Chinese particles "le" (了) or "la" (啦, a contraction of 了啊) for a "ra" sound when Chinese cooks would announce "hăo le" (好了) to communicate that a dish was complete. The Japanese then appended the word "men" (麵, meaning 'noodle') to the "ra" to create the word "ramen". Early ramen or ramen-like dishes went by different names, such as ''Nankin soba'' (南京そば, literally " Nanjing soba", named after the city which was the then capital of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
), ''
Shina Shina may refer to: * Shina language, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan * Shina people, a Dardic ethnic group in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan People named Shina * Shina Matsudo (born 1973), Japanese freestyle swimmer * ...
soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...
'' (支那そば, literally "Chinese soba"), or ''Chūka soba'' (中華そば, also meaning "Chinese soba"). Until the 1950s, ramen was most commonly called ''Shina soba'', but today ''Chūka soba'' or just ''ramen'' (ラーメン) are more common, as the word "支那" (''Shina'', meaning "China") has acquired a pejorative connotation through its association with Japanese imperialism.


Origin

Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups.NHK World. ''Japanology Plus: Ramen''. 2014. Accessed 2015-03-08. It is first recorded to have appeared in Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century. Although the ramen takes its name from '' lāmiàn,'' it does not actually evolve from the northern Chinese dish of lamian. The noodles used in ramen known as "chūkamen" are cut rather than hand-pulled. The ramen is derived from southern Chinese noodle dishes such as the char siu tangmian of Guangdong and the rousi tangmian of Jiangnan. This is reflective of Yokohama Chinatown's demographics, as most Chinese settlers in the district came from the cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai. One theory says that ramen was introduced to Japan during the 1660s by the Chinese neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Shunsui who served as an advisor to Tokugawa Mitsukuni after he became a refugee in Japan to escape Manchu rule and Mitsukuni became the first Japanese person to eat ramen. Most historians reject this theory as a myth created by the Japanese to embellish the origins of ramen. According to historians, the more plausible theory is that ramen was introduced to Japan in the late 19th
Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum is a small district in Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Buildings and attractions * Shin-Yokohama Station * Kita Shin-Yokohama Station * Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum * Yokohama Arena * Nissan Stadium * Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel * ...
or early 20th centuries by Chinese immigrants living in Yokohama Chinatown. In 1910, the first ramen shop named ' (来々軒) opened in Asakusa, Tokyo, where the Japanese owner employed twelve Cantonese cooks from Yokohama's
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
and served the ramen arranged for Japanese customers.新横浜ラーメン博物館「日本のラーメンの歴史」
/ref> Early versions were wheat noodles in broth topped with char siu. By 1900, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine from Guangzhou 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 and gyōza
dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...
s to workers. By the mid-1900s, these stalls used a type of a musical horn called a '' charumera'' (チャルメラ, from the Portuguese ''charamela'') to advertise their presence, a practice some vendors still retain via a loudspeaker and a looped recording. By the early Shōwa period, ramen had become a popular dish when eating out. According to ramen expert Hiroshi Osaki, the first specialized ramen shop opened in Yokohama in 1910.


Postwar popularization

After Japan's defeat in World War II, the American military occupied the country from 1945 to 1952. In December 1945, Japan recorded its worst rice harvest in 42 years, which caused food shortages as Japan had drastically reduced rice production during the war as production shifted to colonies in China and Formosa island. The US flooded the market with cheap wheat flour to deal with food shortages. From 1948 to 1951,
bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
consumption in Japan increased from 262,121 tons to 611,784 tons, but wheat also found its way into ramen, which most Japanese ate at black market food vendors to survive as the government food distribution system ran about 20 days behind schedule. Although the Americans maintained Japan's wartime ban on outdoor food vending, flour was secretly diverted from commercial mills into the black markets, where nearly 90 percent of stalls were under the control of gangsters related to the '' yakuza'' who extorted vendors for protection money. Thousands of ramen vendors were arrested during the occupation. In the same period, millions of Japanese troops returned from China and continental East Asia from their posts in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Some of them would have been familiar with wheat noodles. 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 out '' yatai'' starter kits consisting of noodles, toppings, bowls, and chopsticks. Ramen '' yatai'' provided a rare opportunity for small scale postwar entrepreneurship. The Americans also aggressively advertised the nutritional benefits of wheat and animal protein. The combination of these factors caused wheat noodles to gain prominence in Japan's rice-based culture. Gradually, ramen became associated with urban life.


Modern period

In 1958,
instant noodle Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...
s were invented by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Named the greatest Japanese
invention An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...
of the 20th century in a Japanese poll, 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. A
ramen museum is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes. ...
opened in Yokohama in 1994. Today ramen is one of Japan's most popular foods, with Tokyo alone containing around 5,000 ramen shops, and more than 24,000 ramen shops across Japan. ''Tsuta'', a ramen restaurant in Tokyo's
Sugamo is a neighborhood in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. It is home to , a shopping street popular among the older generation, earning it the nickname "Granny's Harajuku." It lies at the crossing point of the JR Yamanote Line and National Route 17. Availab ...
district, received a
Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
in December 2015.


Types

A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Although ramen usually has toppings, ramen can be broadly categorized by its two main ingredients: noodles and broth.


Noodles

Most noodles are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and derived from the Chinese jiǎnshuǐ (鹼水) a type of alkaline mineral water, containing
sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...
and usually potassium carbonate, as well as sometimes a small amount of phosphoric acid. Although ramen noodles and Udon noodles are both made with wheat and are similar, they are different kinds of noodle. The ''kansui'' is the distinguishing ingredient in ramen noodles, and originated in Inner Mongolia, where some lakes contain large amounts of these minerals and whose water is said to be perfect for making these noodles. Making noodles with ''kansui'' lends them a yellowish hue as well as a firm texture. Eggs may also be substituted for ''kansui''. Some noodles are made with neither eggs nor ''kansui'' and should only be used for
yakisoba ''Yakisoba'' ( ja, 焼きそば ), "fried noodle", is a Japanese noodle stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in yakisoba are Chinese noodles (Chuuka soba) made from wheat flour, typically flavored with ...
, as they have a weaker structure and are more prone to soaking up moisture and becoming extremely soft when served in soup. 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. and others.


Soup

Ramen soup is generally made from stock based on chicken or pork, combined with a variety of ingredients such as pork bones,
katsuobushi is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'', sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes. ''Katsuobushi'' or similarly prepared fish is also known as . Shaved ''katsuobushi'' and dried ke ...
(
skipjack tuna The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the balaya (Sri Lanka), bakulan/kayu (North Borneo), tongkol/aya (Malay Peninsula/Indonesia), aku (Hawaii), cakal ...
flakes), niboshi (dried baby sardines), *Whole web page which links to the PDF above: beef bones,
shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a medicinal mushroom in some forms of traditional medicine. Ta ...
, onions, and kombu (kelp). Some modern ramen broths can also be vegetable-based.
Tare Tare or Tares may refer to: * Tare (armour), a leg and groin protector used in a number of Japanese martial arts * Tare (surname), a surname * Tare (tufted grass), a genus of nine species of tufted grasses * Tare, Rwanda * Tare River, in Roman ...
is often added to broth to make the soup. *Tonkotsu (豚骨, "pork bone"; not to be confused with '' tonkatsu'') soup is broth with a typically translucent white colored appearance. Similar to the Chinese '' baitang'' (白湯), it has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours, which suffuses the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Although ''Tonkotsu'' is merely a kind of broth, some people consider ''tonkotsu'' ramen (specialty of Kyushu, its birthplace) a distinct flavor category. *Torigara (鶏がら, "Chicken bone") soup based on chicken bone broth originated mainly in Tokyo. It is often used as a base for salt and shoyu ramen.


Flavors

The resulting combination is generally divided into several categories. Although newer and older variations often make this categorization less clear-cut, a description of said old variations is as follows: * ''Shio'' (塩, "salt") ramen is the oldest of the four types. It has a pale, clear, yellowish broth made with plenty of salt and any combination of chicken, vegetables, fish, and seaweed. Occasionally pork bones are also used, but they are not boiled as long as they are for ''tonkotsu'' ramen, so the soup remains light and clear.
Chāshū ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple b ...
is sometimes swapped for lean chicken meatballs, and pickled plums and
kamaboko is a type of cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. is made by forming various pureed deboned white fish with either natural or man-made additives and flavorings into distinctive loaves, which are then steamed u ...
(a slice of processed fish roll sometimes served as a frilly white circle with a pink or red spiral called narutomaki) are popular toppings as well. Noodle texture and thickness varies among ''shio'' ramen, but they are usually straight rather than curly. " Hakodate Ramen" is a well-known version of shio ramen in Japan. *''Shōyu'' (醤油, "
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
") ramen has a clear brown broth, based on a chicken and vegetable (or sometimes fish or beef) stock with plenty of soy sauce added resulting in a soup that is tangy, salty, and savory yet still fairly light on the palate. ''Shōyu'' ramen usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones, although this is not always the case. It is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots or '' menma'', scallions, ''ninjin'' (carrot), ''kamaboko'' (fish cakes), ''nori'' (seaweed), boiled eggs, bean sprouts or black pepper; occasionally the soup will also contain chili oil or Chinese spices, and some shops serve sliced beef instead of the usual ''
chāshū ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple b ...
''. *''Miso'' (味噌) ramen reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Sapporo Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious miso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with ''tonkotsu'' 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 or '' tōbanjan'' ( 豆瓣醤), 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. *''Karē'' (カレー, "curry") ramen is a relative newcomer, cooked with curry soup. In Japan, several cities claim to be its place of origin. The city of Muroran claims it originated there in 1965 (see also Muroran curry ramen), while the city of Sanjō city claims to have had kare ramen for over 80 years, and the city of Katori also claims to have been the site of its origin. Curry soup is mainly made with pork bones and vegetables and is seasoned with curry. The noodles are thick and curly. Toppings include
chāshū ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple b ...
, wakame, and bean sprouts.


Toppings

After basic preparation, ramen can be seasoned and flavored with any number of toppings, including but not limited to: *
Chāshū ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple b ...
(sliced barbecued or braised pork) * Negi (green onion) * ''Takana-zuke'' (Pickled and seasoned mustard leaves) * Seasoned (usually salted) boiled egg (
Soy egg The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...
("Ajitsuke Tamago")) *
Bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...
or other sprouts * Menma (lactate-fermented bamboo shoots) * Kakuni (braised pork cubes or squares) *Kikurage ( wood ear mushroom) * Nori (dried
seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
) *
Kamaboko is a type of cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. is made by forming various pureed deboned white fish with either natural or man-made additives and flavorings into distinctive loaves, which are then steamed u ...
(formed fish paste, often in a pink and white spiral called narutomaki) *
Squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...
* Umeboshi (pickled plum) *
Corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
* Butter * Wakame (a type of seaweed) *
Olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
* Sesame oil *
Soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
* Other types of vegetables


Preference

Seasonings commonly added to ramen are white pepper, black pepper, butter, chili pepper, sesame seeds, and crushed garlic. Soup recipes and methods of preparation tend to be closely guarded secrets. Most ''tonkotsu'' ramen restaurants offer a system known as ''kae-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.


Regional variations

While standard versions of ramen are available throughout Japan since the Taishō period, the last few decades have shown a proliferation of regional variations, commonly referred to as ''gotouchi ramen'' (ご当地ラーメン). Some of these which have gone on to national prominence are: * Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, is especially famous for its ramen. Most people in Japan associate Sapporo with its rich ''miso'' ramen, which was invented there and which is ideal for Hokkaido's harsh, snowy winters. Sapporo miso ramen is typically topped with sweetcorn, butter, bean sprouts, finely chopped pork, and garlic, and sometimes local seafood such as
scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...
,
squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...
, and
crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
. Hakodate, another city of Hokkaido, is famous for its salt flavored ramen, while Asahikawa in the north of the island offers a soy sauce-flavored variation. In Muroran, many ramen restaurants offer Muroran curry ramen. *
Kitakata ramen Kitakata ramen (喜多方ラーメン) is a kind of ramen that originated in Kitakata, Japan. History As 1927, Kitakata ramen originated from Genraiken noodle shop in Kitakata, Fukushima. Kitakata Ramen is one of Japanese's three most popular ...
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 word ''soba'' usually refers to ramen, and not to actual
soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...
which is referred to as ''nihon 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 of '' dashi'', as old ramen establishments in Tokyo often originate from
soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...
eateries. Standard toppings are chopped scallion, menma, sliced pork, kamaboko, egg, nori, and spinach.
Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...
,
Ogikubo is a suburban, residential area of Tokyo in Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Suginami ward, approximately 8 km west of Shinjuku. Ogikubo has the Ogikubo Station on the East Japan Railway Company, JR Chūō Line (Rapid), the JR Chūō-Sōbu Line, the Tokyo ...
and Ebisu are three areas in Tokyo known for their ramen. * Yokohama ramen specialty is called Ie-kei (家系). It consists of thick, straight noodles served in a soy flavored pork broth similar to ''tonkotsu'', sometimes referred to as, ''tonkotsu-shoyu''. The standard toppings are roasted pork (
chāshū ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple b ...
), boiled spinach, sheets of nori, often with shredded Welsh 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. * Wakayama ramen in the Kansai region has a broth made from soy sauce and pork bones. *
Hakata ramen is a ramen dish that originated in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, and it is a speciality dish in both Fukuoka and Kyushu. The soup broth is based on pork bones and other ingredients, which are typically boiled for se ...
originates from
Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the locatio ...
district of Fukuoka city in
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
. It has a rich, milky, pork-bone ''tonkotsu'' broth and rather thin, non-curly and resilient noodles. Often, distinctive toppings such as crushed
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
, ''
beni shōga is a type of ''tsukemono'' (Japanese pickle). It is made from thin strips of ginger pickled in umezu (), the vinegary pickling solution used to make umeboshi. The red color is traditionally derived from red perilla (''Perilla frutescens'' var. ...
'' (pickled ginger), sesame seeds, and spicy pickled mustard greens (karashi takana) are left on tables for customers to serve themselves. Ramen stalls in Hakata and Tenjin are well known within Japan. Recent trends have made Hakataramen one of the most popular types in Japan, and several chain restaurants specializing in Hakata ramen can be found all over the country. *Tofu ramen is a specialty of Iwatsuki ward in Saitama City. File:tokyoramen.jpg, Tokyo-style ramen File:kitakatara-men.jpg, Kitakata ramen File:Hakatara-men.jpg, Hakata ramen with ''tonkotsu'' soup File:Wakayamaramen222.jpg, Wakayama ramen File:Tsukemen.jpg, ''
Tsukemen ''Tsukemen'' ( ja, つけ麺, English: "dipping noodles") is a ramen dish in Japanese cuisine consisting of noodles which are eaten after being dipped in a separate bowl of soup or broth. The dish was invented in 1961 by Kazuo Yamagishi, a restau ...
'' dipping ramen File:Aburasoba-tokyoarea-feb192020.jpg, ''Aburasoba'' ("oiled noodles") File:takayama_ramen.jpg, Takayama ramen File:Hiyashira-men.jpg, ''Hiyashi'' (chilled) ramen File:Butter Corn Ramen.JPG, Butter corn ramen, specialty of Hokkaido File:151010 Sapporo ramen at Susukino Sapporo Hokkaido Japan01s.jpg, Sapporo-style ramen File:Muroran-CurryRamen.jpg, Muroran curry ramen File:Service set (Ramen (kotteri), half-size fried rice, and Gyoza)at Tenkaippin, Koenji (32897689265).jpg, Ramen and Chahan (dish)


Related dishes

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 as
soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...
or udon, which are almost never served in the same establishments as ramen. * Nagasaki champon. The noodles are thicker than ramen but thinner than udon. Champon is topped with a variety of ingredients, mostly
seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
, 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'' is a mild, usually salty soup, served with a mix of sautéed vegetables and seafood/pork. Not to be confused with the tantan-men (see after). * ''Wantan-men'' has long straight noodles and wonton, served in a mild, usually salty soup. * ''
Tsukemen ''Tsukemen'' ( ja, つけ麺, English: "dipping noodles") is a ramen dish in Japanese cuisine consisting of noodles which are eaten after being dipped in a separate bowl of soup or broth. The dish was invented in 1961 by Kazuo Yamagishi, a restau ...
'' ("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. * ''Tantan-men'' (担担麺). Japanese version of
dan dan noodles Dandan noodles or ''dandanmian'' (), literally "carrying-pole noodles", is a noodle dish originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce usually containing preserved vegetables (often including ''zha cai'' (榨菜), lower e ...
, itself a Szechuan specialty. Ramen in a reddish, spicy chili and sesame soup, usually containing minced pork, garnished with chopped scallion and chili and occasionally topped with spinach or Bok Choi (chingensai). * ''Sūrātanmen'' or ''sanrātanmen'' (酸辣湯麺, "noodles in
hot and sour soup Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as ''hulatang'' or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤). North America Un ...
") is very similar to Szechuan
hot and sour soup Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as ''hulatang'' or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤). North America Un ...
, 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"). Also known as ''reimen'', esp. in western Japan. A summer dish of chilled ramen on a plate with various toppings (typically thin strips of omelet, ham, cucumber and tomato) and served with a vinegary soy dressing and '' karashi'' (Japanese mustard). It was first produced at the Ryutei, a Chinese restaurant in
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
.


Restaurants in 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. However, the best quality ramen is usually only available in specialist ''ramen-ya'' restaurants. Some restaurants also provide '' Halal'' ramen (using chicken) in Osaka and Kyoto. As ''ramen-ya'' restaurants offer mainly ramen dishes, they tend to lack variety in the menu. Besides ramen, some of the dishes generally available in a ''ramen-ya'' restaurant include other dishes from
Japanese Chinese cuisine Japanese Chinese cuisine or ''Chūka'' is a style of Japanese cuisine served by Chinese restaurants popularized in Japan in the late 19th century and more recent times. This style of food is different from modern Chinatown Chinese food in Japan ...
such as fried rice (called ''Chahan'' or ''Yakimeshi''), '' gyoza'' (Chinese dumplings), and beer. ''Ramen-ya'' interiors are often filled with Chinese-inspired decorations. During the COVID-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, making social distancing difficult.


Outside Japan

Ramen became popular in China where it is known as ''rìshì lāmiàn'' (, lit. "Japanese-style lamian"). Restaurant chains serve ramen alongside distinctly Japanese dishes, such as tempura and
yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered chicken. Its preparation involves skewering the meat with , a type of skewer typically made of steel, bamboo, or similar materials. Afterwards, they are grilled over a charcoal fire. During or after cooking, th ...
. Interestingly, in Japan, these dishes are not traditionally served with ramen, but gyoza,
kara-age is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods—most often chicken, but also other meat and fish—are deep fried in oil. The process involves lightly coating small pieces of the meat or fish with flour, or potato or corn starch, and ...
and others from
Japanese Chinese cuisine Japanese Chinese cuisine or ''Chūka'' is a style of Japanese cuisine served by Chinese restaurants popularized in Japan in the late 19th century and more recent times. This style of food is different from modern Chinatown Chinese food in Japan ...
. In Korea, ramen is called '' ramyeon'' (). There are different varieties, such as kimchi-flavored ''ramyeon''. While usually served with egg or vegetables such as carrots and scallions some restaurants serve variations of ''ramyeon'' containing additional ingredients such as dumplings, tteok, or
cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
as toppings. Outside of Asia, particularly in areas with a large demand for Asian 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 JINYA Ramen Bar is a chain of restaurants based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in ramen noodle dishes. The restaurants are located across the Lower 48, Washington DC, and Hawaii in the US; and Vancouver and Calgary in Canada. Los Ange ...
serves ''tonkotsu'' ramen.


Instant ramen

Instant ramen noodles were exported from Japan by Nissin Foods starting in 1971, bearing the name "Oodles of Noodles". One year later, it was re-branded "Nissin Cup Noodles", packaged in a foam food container (It is referred to as Cup Ramen in Japan), and subsequently saw a growth in international sales. Over time, the term "''ramen''" 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. However, instant ramen noodles, known to have a serving of 43 g, consist of very high sodium. At least 1,760 mg of sodium are found in one packet alone. It consists of 385k calories, 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.


Canned version

In
Akihabara is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...
, Tokyo, vending machines distribute warm ramen in a steel can known as . It is produced by a popular local ramen restaurant in flavors such as ''tonkotsu'' and curry, and contains noodles, soup, menma, and pork. It is intended as a quick snack, and includes a small folded plastic fork.


In popular culture


Emoji

In October 2010, an
emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from typed conversat ...
was approved for Unicode 6.0 for "Steaming Bowl", that depicts Japanese ramen noodles in a bowl of steaming broth with chopsticks. In 2015, the icon was added to Emoji 1.0.


Museum

The Shin-Yokohama Rāmen Museum is a unique museum about ramen, in the Shin-Yokohama district of Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama.


Anime

Ramen features prominently in many Japanese anime, including Naruto, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Komi Can't Communicate, and Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma.


See also

* List of Japanese soups and stews * List of noodle dishes * List of ramen dishes * List of soups * Laghman * Lo mein * Pot Noodle * Hawaiian saimin *
Shirataki noodles Shirataki ( ja, 白滝, often written with the ''hiragana'' ) are translucent, gelatinous Japanese noodles made from the corm of the konjac yam. They are part of traditional Japanese cuisine, but they are also appreciated by people with allergie ...
* Tare sauce * Laksa (Southeast Asia) * Beef noodles


References


Further reading

* * Interview with the author.
How to Customize your Ramen - Toppings and Japanese Vocabulary
{{Authority control Chinese inventions Japanese cuisine terms Japanese inventions Japanese noodle dishes Japanese soups and stews Japanese Chinese cuisine National dishes Noodle soups