Ramen's history began in the late 19th century in Japan where it was first introduced by Chinese immigrants. The name ramen (ラーメン), written in katakana, is actually an adaption on the Chinese work La Mien (拉麵) meaning literally "pulled noodles). Over time, the Japanese modified the Chinese wheat noodles into what has become a truly Japanese dish that varies greatly across the country.
Ramen taste is very individual with many notable ramen shops in Japan creating unique flavors and textures playing with the 3 main building blocks of ramen: Soup, Noodle, and Flavor (sometimes Toppings can be added here).
The soup, or broth, is core to any ramen and defines the type and in most cases can indicate the origins of the bowl.
Many types of flavors and imbue a bowl of ramen. Flavors can be vey indicative of the origins of a bowl of ramen. For example, Kyushu prefecture that includes Hakata and Fukuoka is frequently seen as the origins of ramen and creates the best Tonkotsu ramen with great brands coming out of the region like Ippudo and Ichiran. Up north in Hokkaido prefecture we get deep miso flavored ramen that warms the body during their cold, long winters as well as the curry ramen of Sapporo.
As ramen begins to modernize and Japanese are more culturally willing to try new flavors we are starting to see more attempts at creating new flavors and tastes.
However, there are four main classifications of broth.
Shoyu (醤油)
Shio (塩)
Miso (味噌)
Curry (カレー)
]]>The truth of the matter is that in Japan, it was always this way and the rest of the world is now catching up! Noodles are a way of life here and what North America views as 'ramen' is really just instant noodles created by Ando Momofuku (whom David Chang named his restaurants after).
Ando Momofuku was a Taiwanese-Japanese inventor whom created the noodles as a way to alleviate the food shortage crisis of post-war Japan. In 1958 he introduced his first flavor "Chikin Ramen" through his company Nissin Foods.
It was only in 1971 after the creation of Cup Noodles did it turn into the popular format that we know today. The simple process of just adding hot water to the styrofoam package was too simple and tasty to resist.
Since then the innovation has spawned numerous other companies, created a billion dollar industry and formed a cult following for people across the world!
At RamenTrunk we strive to introduce you to all this amazing variety and hope you'll join us. We choose from only the best quality noodles that you won't see anywhere else outside of Japan that we feel will satisfy all of your cravings!
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