The Complex History of Ramen

Chinese Origins

How ramen made the cultural leap from China to Japan is up for debate. One thing we know for sure is that kansui - the mixture of baking soda and water that gives ramen noodles their chewy texture and yellow color - was originally a Chinese technique.

Ramen Comes to Japan

There’s no definitive timeline for the arrival of ramen in Japan. Ramen came to Japan anywhere between the 17th and 20th centuries, depending on which theory you choose to believe.

Early theories about the history of ramen claim a scholar named Shu Shunsui brought the recipe with him when he escaped Manchu rule in China and served as an advisor to feudal lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni. There’s just one problem with this theory, however. Though we can probably assume he did, there is no historical mention of Shunsui actually cooking ramen for Mitsukuni.

A more plausible theory places ramen in Japan around 1910, at a restaurant called Rai-Rai Ken in Tokyo. Rai-Rai Ken Chinese immigrants and popularized what was then known as “shina soba” (shina - China and soba - a Japanese noodle dish).

Like other blue-collar favorites, shina soba caught on with workers because it was cheap, fast, and filling.

Conflict & Difficult Times

The famine, food shortages and difficult times that followed World War II nearly wiped out the first wave of ramen’s popularity.

Making a living in the food business was made impossible after Japan’s government prohibited people from making a profit from a restaurant or push cart until 1949. Wheat flour ended up on the black market and people who were trying to provide for their families ended up in jail for selling ramen, which uses wheat flour-based noodles.

Instant Ramen

Instant ramen was introduced in Japan in 1958 by inventor Momofuku Ando. He developed a process for flash frying noodles, which gave them a longer shelf life, even exceeding that of frozen noodles. These instant noodle, branded as Chikin Ramen, became ready to eat just in two minutes by adding boiling water. Due to its price and novelty, Chikin Ramen was initially considered a luxury item, as Japanese grocery stores typically sold fresh noodles for one-sixth their price.

The Rise of Ramen Museums

As Japan began its rise to affluence, smaller Chinese shops and vendors in Japan were replaced by upscale restaurants and ramen became closely associated with Japanese culture.

As the economy headed further in the right direction, ramen’s nostalgia made people keep coming back. The first ramen tour was held in the city of Kitakata in 1982. There’s even Shin-Yokohama’s Ramen Museum, the world’s first food-themed amusement park, which opened in 1994 as well as the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum which opened in 1999.

Sharing the Love of Ramen

As our world becomes even more connected than we ever thought possible, ideas, culture, and food flow freely all over the globe.

Ramen shops have been set all over the world in places like New York City, London, Sydney by Japanese immigrants who want to share the heart of their culture - like every culture - their food.

We hope that by sharing the history of our food, you can have a deeper appreciation for the journey that led to our shop right here in NEPA.