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Ramen (ラーメン, らめん, or 拉麺, rāmen?, IPA: [ɺaːmeɴ]) is a Japanese noodle dish of Chinese origins. It is served with a variety of toppings, such as sliced pork (チャーシュー chāshū), seaweed, kamaboko, green onions and even corn. Almost every locality, or prefecture, in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu ramen of Kyūshū to the miso ramen of Hokkaidō.

History of Ramen

Ramen originated in China and was used in Chinese cuisine. It is a relative newcomer to Japanese cuisine. While Tokugawa Mitsukuni reportedly ate ramen in the late 17th century, it was only during the Meiji period that the dish became widely known — perhaps because, for most of its history, the Japanese diet consisted mostly of vegetables and seafood rather than meat. The introduction of American and European cuisine, which demanded increased production of meat products, played a large role in ramen's increased popularity.There is the opinion which Ramen originated in Japan（Chinatowns of Kobe or Yokohama）of the Meiji era.In addition, there is the opinion which assumes salt ramen of Hokkaido the origin in the Taisho era too.Though of Chinese origin, it is unclear when, from where and by whom ramen was introduced to Japan. Even the etymology of the term "ramen" is a topic of debate. One hypothesis is that "ramen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese: 拉麺 (lamian), meaning "hand-pulled noodles." A second hypothesis proposes 老麺 (laomian, "old noodles") as the original form, while yet another states that ramen was initially 鹵麺 (lumian), noodles cooked in a thick, starchy sauce. Finally, others peg 撈麵 (Cantonese: Lo mein, Mandarin: lāo miàn), meaning "stirred noodles," as the origin of "ramen." There are also anecdotal origins: one story purports that the name was originally 柳麺 (liumian), meaning "Liu's noodle," with Liu being the cook who ostensibly popularized the dish.In the early Meiji period, ramen was called shina soba (支那そば, literally "Chinese soba") but today chūka soba (中華そば, also meaning "Chinese soba") is the more common, not to mention politically correct, term. By 1900, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine from Canton and Shanghai offered a simple ramen dish of noodles (cut rather than hand pulled), a few toppings, and a broth flavored with salt and pork bones. Many Chinese 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.After World War II, cheap flour imported from the U.S. swept the Japanese market. At the same time, millions of Japanese troops had returned from China and continental East Asia. Many of these returnees had become familiar with Chinese cuisine, and subsequently set up Chinese restaurants across Japan. Eating ramen, while popular, was still a special occasion that required going out.In 1958, instant noodles were invented by the late Momofuku Ando, founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Named the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century in a Japanese poll[citation needed], instant ramen allowed anyone to make this dish simply by adding boiling water. Beginning in the 1980s, ramen became a Japanese cultural icon and was studied 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.

About the noodles

Most ramen noodles are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water and kansui (かんすい). Originally, kansui was water from Inner Mongolia's Lake Kan, which contains large amounts of potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate as well as a small amount of phosphoric acid. Making noodles with kansui lends them a yellowish hue as well as a particular flavor. For a brief time after World War II, low-quality kansui that was tainted or thinned with water was sold, though kansui is now manufactured according to JAS standards. Eggs may also be substituted for kansui. Some ramen noodles are made with neither eggs nor kansui, and should only be used for yakisoba.Ramen noodles come in various shapes and lengths. They may be fat, thin, or even ribbon-like, as well as straight or wrinkled. According to Nissin, there are five traditional types of noodles: "hand-stretched noodle," "oiled and stick-stretched noodle," "cut noodle," "pushed noodle" and "rice noodle."

About the soup

Ramen soup is generally made of 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, shiitake and onions, and then flavoured with the likes of salt, miso or soy sauce.The resulting combination is generally divided into four flavors (though these are sometimes mixed together to produce new, original variations):* Shio ("salt") ramen soup clear, almost transparent. is probably the oldest of the four and, like the Chinese maotang (毛湯), is a simple chicken broth. * Tonkotsu ("pork bone") ramen is usually white. It is similar to the Chinese baitang (白湯) and is a thick broth made with crushed pork bones that have been boiled for hours. It is a specialty of Kyūshū and is often served with beni shoga (pickled ginger). * shoyu ("soy sauce") ramen soup is made by adding a soy-based sauce to a stock usually made from chicken and various vegetables. It is popular in Honshū. Popular seasonings are black pepper or chilli oil. * Miso ramen is a relative newcomer, having reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Hokkaidō, features a broth that combines chicken stock with a fermented soybean paste. Often topped with sweetcorn and butter.(It's worth noting that inventive chefs continue to push the boundaries of ramen cuisine: by 2006, Hokkaido's regional curry ramen had leapt to national prominence, and restaurants from Sendai to Kobe have for years offered a ramen based on the made-in-Japan Chinese dish of ebi chili sauce, or "shrimp in chili sauce.")Some seasonings commonly added to ramen are black pepper, butter, chile pepper, sesame seeds and garlic. Soup recipes and methods of preparation are a closely guarded secret in many restaurants.

About the toppings

Ramen are almost invariably topped with finely chopped negi (a type of scallion), menma (fermented and pickled bamboo shoot) and sliced chāshū (char siu, 叉焼 or 焼豚: traditionally a barbecued pork but usually a thinly sliced braised pork when used as a ramen topping).Popular additional toppings include boiled egg (sometimes marinated), naruto (a type of kamaboko), nori, spinach, bean sprouts, wakame, deep fried scallion, or kimchi. Hokkaido-style miso ramen is often topped with sweetcorn.In most cases, toppings are added after having been already cooked so as to not change the flavor of the soup.

Regional Variations

Standard versions of ramen have been available throughout Japan, however in the last few decades a multitude of regional specialities have cropped up. Below are some of the most nationally known ones.Sapporo, from the capital of Hokkaidō, is especially famous for its ramen. Most people in Japan associate Sapporo with its rich miso ramen which was invented there, and is perfect for Hokkaido's harsh, snowy winters. Sapporo miso ramen is typically topped with sweetcorn, butter, beansprouts, finely chopped pork and garlic, and sometimes local seafood such as scallop, squid and crab.Kitakata in northern Honshu is known for its rather thick, flat, curly noodles served in a pork-and-niboshi broth. The area within its former city boundaries 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").What is known as Tokyo style ramen consists of slightly thin, curly noodles served in a soy-flavoured chicken broth. The broth typically has a touch of dashi, as old ramen establishments in Tokyo often originate from soba eateries. Standard toppings on top of chopped scallion, menma and sliced pork are kamaboko, egg, nori and spinach. Ogikubo and Ebisu are two areas in Tokyo known for their ramen.Ie-kei (家系) ramen is from Yokohama and consist of thick straight-ish noodles served in a soy-pork broth. Hakata-men Hakata-menHakata ramen originates from Hakata district of Fukuoka city. It has a rich, milky, pork-bone tonkotsu broth and rather thin, non-curly and resilient noodles. Often, distinctive toppings such as beni shoga (pickled ginger), sesame seeds and picked greens are left on tables for customers to serve themselves. Many restaurants operate a system known as kae-dama (替え玉), where customers who have finished eating can ask for additional bundles of noodles to be put in their remaining soup cheaply. Yatai (ramen stalls) in Hakata and Tenjin are well-known within Japan.. Recent ramen trends have made Hakata ramen one of the most popular types of ramen in Japan, and these days several chain restaurants specializing in Hakata ramen can be found







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