Origin. Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups. It is first recorded to have appeared in Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century.
Originally from China, ramen has become one of Japan's most popular dishes over the past few decades, sparking intense competition among the nation's ramen shops.
Simply put, ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, with a combination of a rich flavoured broth, one of a variety of types of noodle and a selection of meats or vegetables, often topped with a boiled egg.
The term “ramen” is supposedly the Japanese pronunciation for the Chinese word for pulled noodles, lamian. Additionally, an alternative term for ramen is chuka soba, literally “Chinese noodles.” However, food historians dispute whether there was ever any direct connection between the two.
What is ramen? Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup with an umami flavour, made with wheat noodles and various savoury toppings. Unlike ramyeon, it is typically made fresh, and great care is taken over the ingredients and preparation, with specialty broths like tonkotsu taking almost a full day to make.
Ramyun or ramyeon mainly refers to Korean instant ramen noodles, which are based on traditional Japanese food.
Momofuku Ando (1910 – 2007)
Momofuku Ando was born on March 5, 1910. He established Nissin Food Products and founded the Ando Foundation. In 1958, Momofuku invented Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant ramen, creating the instant ramen industry.
Udon are chewy Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, water, and salt, typically served in a simple dashi-based broth. They're thicker than buckwheat soba noodles—typically two to four millimeters—and can be either flat or rounded.
Ramen is considered a Japanese dish by many because it's such a popular staple food in Japan.
While Japan is certainly the sushi capital of the world – and responsible for introducing the dish to travelers – sushi traces its origins back to a Chinese dish called narezushi. This dish consisted of fermented rice and salted fish.
The origins of Ramen
Ramen was born when the Chinese noodle dish came to Japan and fused with Japanese cuisine, combining men (noodles), dashi (soup stock), tare (sauce), ingredients, and fat or oil.
Refined throughout the years, ramen has become more than just a dish—it's an entire experience to be had. It isn't only rich in flavour, but also rich in Japanese history and culture. Even if it didn't originate from Japan, the ramen we know today is quintessentially Japanese through and through.
In Japan, “ramen” is categorized as Chinese food. It's interesting that many people find this surprising. Another common name for ramen in Japanese is “chuuka soba” #中華そば where “chuuka” means Chinese. Soba, the buckwheat noodles, is the traditional Japanese noodles, so, they called it Chinese soba.
No - ramen is a Japanese food.
But the root of ramen is from Chinese noodles called “lamian". 1.
The main difference in the eating experience is the texture of the noodles themselves. While they are the same thickness, ramen noodles have a more slippery texture and are white, whereas Chow Mein noodles are yellow. But there's no difference in the flavour of the noodles!
Ramen is always going to naturally be higher in calories though and there isn't much to do to bring that down. Vietnamese pho is designed to be filling but also low in calories so for pho lovers, that's a win. Carb-wise, pho contains roughly 45g of carbs per bowl compared to ramen which has approx. 60g of carbs.
Udon noodles are made from milled flour, water, and salt. They are paler in color than ramen noodles and tend to be subtle in taste. One of the most important things to note about udon noodles is that (unlike ramen) they aren't made with egg, meaning that udon is an awesome noodle choice for vegans.
Chinese Egg Noodles
You can find egg noodles shaped into both thick and thin strands. Chinese egg noodles are beloved for their springy, chewy consistency. They are the staple ingredient in classic Chinese meals like chow mein, wonton soup, and lo mein.
In South Korea, ramen refers almost exclusively to Japanese noodles with fresh ingredients and spices, usually served at restaurants. Meanwhile, ramyeon refers to instant noodles with dried vegetables and artificial flavoring. Ramyeon is served at eateries, too, but cooks use pre-packaged instant noodles.
Originally from China, these long, yellow, egg noodles are the main ingredient in ramen; a dish so popular in Japan that there are museums dedicated to it. Japanese ramen noodle soup consists of a huge bowl filled with a broth (which is typically seasoned with salt, soy sauce, ramen, and/or tonkotsu pork bone stock) ...
The post-war period brought on significant food shortages, and street food vendors were outlawed in order to conserve rations—a policy that began during the war. The only way to get ramen, which was something people bought from food stalls rather than made at home, was to find it on the black market.
Ramen is actually of Chinese origin, with most historians agreeing that it was brought to Japan by Chinese immigrants living in Yokohama in the late 19th century. Today, ramen restaurants offer a variety of styles and toppings, but early iterations of ramen were simpler—wheat noodles with Chinese-style roasted pork.
Although called soba, Okinawa Soba are more similar to ramen. The thick, wavy noodles are served in a bowl of shio soup and topped with various items such as green onions, kamaboko and fresh ginger. If topped with soft broiled pork, the dish is called Soki Soba, but there are other varieties too.
And its popularity in Korean culture is not at all surprising. Not only is ramyeon convenient and affordable, but it is packed with flavours, making it one of the go-to meals for many working-class adults. There are even statistics to back up the Korean's love for ramyeon.