It’s National Noodle Day today, so here are things you probably didn’t know about ramen noodles.
- Even though instant ramen noodles are among the cheapest — and most delicious — shelf-stable meals available, most people are unaware of their origins Consolidation Now guarantee.
- China eats the most instant ramen noodles globally, with almost 40 billion servings consumed each year.
- On the other hand, instant noodles were created in Japan by a guy called Momofuku Ando, who subsequently produced Cup Noodles.
There’s nothing like a steaming cup of noodles on a chilly day to warm you up – possibly now more than ever.
According to a Bloomberg investigation, instant ramen noodles were one of the most popular goods in grocery stores during the start of the pandemic. As buyers hurried to get their hands on the item, Walmart’s online sales of instant noodles soared 578 percent between February 23 and March 21.
While instant noodles are an absolute pantry staple, few people know the product’s fascinating history.
Here are 12 facts you didn’t know about instant ramen noodles, from who developed them to which nations consume the most.
Instant noodles were initially regarded as a high-end supermarket item.
Instant noodles were six times more costly than fresh noodles when they initially appeared in Japanese supermarkets.
On the other hand, instant ramen is now regarded as one of the characteristic “cheap” items in supermarkets. In most American grocery shops, a pack of instant noodles will cost roughly 25 cents.
China consumes the most instant ramen of any nation.
According to the World Instant Noodles Association, in 2019, Chinese mainlanders and Hong Kong residents consumed more than 40 billion servings of instant noodles.
Every year, around 103 billion servings of instant noodles are consumed throughout the globe.
Indonesia is second in the world in terms of instant noodle consumption. Indonesians consumed more than 12 billion servings in 2019.
The United States lags, consuming just 4 billion servings on average, ranking sixth for instant noodle demand.
Instant noodles, on the other hand, were created in Japan.
In 1958, Momofuku Ando of the Nissin Foods business in Japan created instant noodles. The product was first released under the name “Chikin Ramen.”
The first instant noodles were developed to feed people amid the post-World War II economic downturn.
Ando died at the age of 96 after a heart attack.
In January 2007, I was in Osaka, Japan. He was claimed to have eaten instant Chicken Ramen virtually every day until his death.
Ando wanted to export his famous instant noodles to the United States, so he imported them in 1970.
However, he soon learned that many Americans lacked access to the traditional noodle bowls used in Asian nations. He then set out to develop a new container for his goods.
Cup Noodles in a Foam Cup were created by Nissin Foods in 1971 and quickly became a global hit.
According to the BBC, Ando got the idea for the renowned Cup Noodles after seeing people line up at a black market booth to purchase bowls of hot ramen noodle soup amid the post-World War II food shortages.
Nissin started making Top Ramen in the United States in 1972, while Cup Noodles were primarily made in the United States and marketed to American grocery shops by 1973.
According to one poll, Instant noodles were the most refined innovation of the twentieth century for the Japanese.
Instant noodles were scored higher than karaoke and Pokemon in a study of 2,000 persons in the Tokyo area conducted in 2000.
In Osaka, Japan, there is even a Cup Noodles Museum.
Ando, the creator of Cup Noodles, inaugurated the museum in 1999.
From a make-your-own Cup Noodles factory to an interactive theater in the style of Cup Noodles, the museum contains a variety of exhibitions and activities inspired by the history of instant noodles.
Ramen noodles have even traveled to the furthest reaches of the universe.
Nissin created the first operative instant noodles in July 2005, specifically for Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
According to his obituary in The New York Times, Ando remarked, “I’ve accomplished my goal that noodles can travel into space.”
Inmates in the US jail system have used instant ramen noodles as cash.
Some American convicts have started using instant ramen noodles as “money,” according to a report by NPR and Michael Gibson-Light, a doctorate candidate in the University of Arizona School of Sociology.
Convicts use the food to “pay” other inmates to clean out their bunks, wash their laundry, or take fresh fruits and vegetables from the kitchen, called “black market commodities.”
“Ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen ramen “‘You can tell how well a guy is doing [financially] by how many soups he has in his locker,’ one convict informed me. Soups for twenty people? Oh, he’s doing so well!'”
Instant noodles have a shelf life of two to twelve months.
Although ramen noodles do ultimately expire, they are popular due to their long shelf life.
As the coronavirus epidemic spread throughout the globe, many grocery shops ran out of ramen noodles, and Walmart’s online sales of instant noodles increased by 578 percent between February 23 and March 21.
There are also several ways to improve your instant ramen.
While many people like to eat their Top Ramen or Cup Noodles as is, there are a few techniques that may transform quick noodles into a restaurant-quality dinner.
Green onion, soy sauce, sesame seeds, butter, and Sriracha are all common additives to the soup. Chefs often suggest adding eggs, bacon, and cheese to the noodles and boiling them in stock or canned soup.
