Ramen (ラーメン) is a bowl of wheat noodles in a hot, savoury broth. On top come slices of pork, a soft-boiled egg, spring onion, seaweed and whatever else the shop is famous for. Ramen is fast, cheap and endlessly varied. It has become one of Japan's great everyday foods, and over the last few decades a global obsession.
A short history
Ramen feels very Japanese today, but it came from China around 1900. The name probably comes from the Chinese lāmiàn, "pulled noodles." Ramen first spread through cheap restaurants in port cities. After the Second World War, it spread much faster. Japan was hungry, cheap American wheat poured into the country, and street carts (yatai) sold hot noodle soup to workers. In 1958, Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen. The dish then went from a local favourite to a cupboard staple all over the world. Yokohama even has a museum devoted to the history of ramen.
The four broths, and the regions
First of all, the tare, or seasoning base, and the broth define a bowl of ramen:
- Shōyu (醤油): a clear brown broth with soy sauce, the Tokyo classic.
- Shio (塩): a light, delicate broth seasoned with salt.
- Miso (味噌): rich and hearty, born in Hokkaidō and perfect for the cold.
- Tonkotsu (豚骨): pork bones simmered for hours into a cloudy broth, thick with collagen. It is the pride of Fukuoka, on the southern island of Kyūshū.
Each region guards its own style fiercely. Sapporo has buttery miso ramen, Hakata has tonkotsu with thin noodles, and Kitakata has flat, wavy noodles. In many shops you order at a vending machine by the door. You buy a ticket, hand it over and sit at the counter. In tonkotsu shops, staff may ask how firm you want your noodles. If you still have broth left, you can order kaedama (替え玉), a second helping of noodles.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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拉麺 / ラーメン: people usually write the word in katakana, the script for words of foreign origin. The kanji 拉麺, "pulled noodles," reveal its Chinese roots.
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替え玉 (kaedama): an extra portion of noodles for the broth left in your bowl. You will only ever use this word in a ramen shop.