Ramen

 (literally: "pulled noodles") is a Japanese noodle soup. It consists of Chinese wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , nori (dried seaweed), menma, and scallions. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of "ramen", such as the "tonkotsu" (pork bone broth) "ramen" of Kyushu and the "miso" "ramen" of Hokkaido. "Mazemen" is a "ramen" dish that is not served in a soup, but rather with a sauce (such as "tare").
History.
Origin.
"Ramen" is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodles. One theory says that "ramen" was first 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", although most historians reject this theory as a myth created by the Japanese to embellish the origins of "ramen". The more plausible theory is that "ramen" was introduced by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th or early 20th century at Yokohama Chinatown. According to the record of the Yokohama Ramen Museum, "ramen" originated in China and made its way over to Japan in 1859. Early versions were wheat noodles in broth topped with Chinese-style roast pork.
Etymology.
The word "ramen" is a Japanese transcription of the Chinese "lamian" (拉麵). In 1910, the first "ramen" shop named "" (来々軒) opened at Asakusa, Tokyo, where the Japanese owner employed 12 Cantonese cooks from Yokohama's Chinatown and served the "ramen" arranged for Japanese customers. Until the 1950s, "ramen" was called "shina soba" (支那そば, literally "Chinese soba") but today "chūka soba" (中華そば, also meaning "Chinese soba") or just "ramen" (ラーメン) are more common, as the word "支那" ("shina", meaning "China") has acquired a pejorative connotation.
Initial appearance.
By 1900, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine from Canton and Shanghai offered a simple dish of noodles (cut rather than hand-pulled), 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 dumplings 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 Taiwan. The US flooded the market with cheap wheat flour to deal with food shortages. From 1948 to 1951, bread 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 locally referred to as "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 noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Named the greatest Japanese invention 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 from many perspectives. 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 opened in Yokohama in 1994.
Today "ramen" is arguably 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 district, received a Michelin star 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. "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 (from ) a type of alkaline mineral water, containing sodium carbonate 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, 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, 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 have in-house capacity to produce fresh noodles 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 kombu (kelp), katsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes), niboshi (dried baby sardines), beef bones, pork bones, shiitake, and onions. Some modern "ramen" broths can also be vegetable-based. Tare is often added to broth to make the soup.
Flavors.
The resulting combination is generally divided into several categories. (although new and original variations often make this categorization less clear-cut) A description of said old variations are as follows:
Toppings.
After basic preparation, "ramen" can be seasoned and flavored with any number of toppings, including but not limited to:
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. 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, squid, and crab. 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 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 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 eateries. Standard toppings are chopped scallion, menma, sliced pork, kamaboko, egg, nori, and spinach. Ikebukuro, Ogikubo 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-ish noodles served in a soy flavored pork broth similar to "tonkotsu," sometimes referred to as, "tonkotsu-shoyu". The standard toppings are roasted pork (chāshū), boiled spinach, sheets of nori, often with shredded Welsh onion (negi) and a soft or hard boiled egg. It is traditional for customers to call 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 originates from Hakata district of Fukuoka city in Kyushu. It has a rich, milky, pork-bone "tonkotsu" broth and rather thin, non-curly and resilient noodles. Often, distinctive toppings such as crushed garlic, "beni shōga" (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 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.
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 or udon, which are almost never served in the same establishments as "ramen".
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 such as fried rice (called "Chahan" or "Yakimeshi"), "gyoza" (Chinese dumplings), and beer. "Ramen-ya" interiors are often filled with Chinese-inspired decorations.
Outside Japan.
"Ramen" became popular in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan where it is known as rìshì lāmiàn (, lit. "Japanese-style lamian"). Restaurant chains serve "ramen" alongside distinctly Japanese dishes, such as tempura and yakitori. Interestingly, in Japan, these dishes are not traditionally served with "ramen", but gyoza, kara-age and others from Japanese Chinese cuisine.
In Korea, "ramen" is called "ramyeon" (). There are different varieties, such as kimchi-flavored "ramyeon". While usually served with vegetables such as carrots and green onions, or eggs, some restaurants serve variations of "ramyeon" containing additional ingredients such as dumplings, tteok, or cheese as topping.
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; in the United States and Canada, Jinya Ramen Bar 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.
Canned version.
In Akihabara, 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 2009, an emoji for "ramen" was proposed to Unicode. The emoji was approved for Unicode 6.0 as in October 2010.
Museum.
The Shin-Yokohama Rāmen Museum is a unique museum about "ramen", in the Shin-Yokohama district of Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama.