Today I Learned

On August 25, 1958, Momofuku Ando created the first instant noodles, Chikin Ramen (Chicken Ramen). The inventor and businessman created them to help address the food shortage crisis in post-World War II Japan. Ramen itself has its roots in China, but after Japan ended its isolationist policies in the mid-1800s, the quintessentially Japanese version of the dish was created from the resulting cultural fusion. More specifically, modern Japanese ramen was first created in 1926 by a chef named Wang Wen-chai at a Chinese restaurant in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. His dish was designed to appeal to both Chinese and Japanese students studying in the area and combined Chinese wheat-based noodles with traditional Japanese flavors. The food quickly became a staple, and during the postwar period in Japan, black-market food vendors began selling ramen. After noticing the long lines forming at these stalls, Momofuku Ando became determined to help alleviate the plight of food shortages and set out to create noodles that could be “quickly prepared and eaten at home with only hot water.” He spent a year working on the recipe in his garden shed and then had an epiphany while watching his wife make tempura, which made him realize that the process of dehydration through frying could preserve the noodles, allowing them to be stored for a long period of time. He then created the first instant ramen, which was sold by Nissin Foods under the name Chikin Ramen. The product was originally sold as a luxury item, costing far more than fresh noodles, and was originally met with skepticism, but eventually morphed into a staple. Then in 1971, Momofuku Ando introduced Cup Noodles, creating a global trend that is still going strong today. Over time, different flavors and brands of instant noodles have been introduced, but the original Chikin Ramen version is still widely available. In fact, instant noodles remain extremely popular today overall and more than 100 billion servings are consumed each year.