Ramen (other)

is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes and is a part of Japanese Chinese cuisine. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, such as the ''tonkotsu'' (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu and the ''miso'' ramen of Hokkaido.

The origins of ramen can be traced back to Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century. The word "ramen" is a Japanese borrowing of the Chinese word ''lamian'' (拉麵), meaning "pulled noodles", but is not derived from the northern Chinese dish of lamian. Instead, the dish evolved from southern Chinese noodle dishes from regions such as Guangzhou, reflecting the demographics of Chinese settlers in Yokohama. Ramen gained popularity in Japan, especially during food shortages following World War II. In 1958, instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando, further popularizing the dish.

Today, ramen is a cultural icon in Japan, with many regional varieties and a wide range of toppings. Examples include Sapporo's rich miso ramen, Hakodate's salt-flavored ramen, Kitakata's thick, flat noodles in pork-and-niboshi broth, Tokyo-style ramen with soy-flavored chicken broth, Yokohama's Iekei Ramen with soy flavored pork broth, Wakayama's soy sauce and pork bone broth, and Hakata's milky ''tonkotsu'' (pork bone) broth. Ramen is offered in various establishments and locations, with the best quality usually found in specialist ramen shops called ''ramenya'' (ラーメン屋).

Ramen's popularity has spread outside of Japan. In Korea, ramen is known as ''ramyeon'' (라면). In China, ramen is called ''rìshì lāmiàn'' (日式拉麵 "Japanese-style lamian"). Ramen has also made its way into Western restaurant chains. Instant ramen was exported from Japan in 1971 and has since gained international recognition.

Etymology

The word ''ramen'' is a Japanese borrowing of the Mandarin Chinese '' lāmiàn'' (, 'pulled noodles').

The word first appeared in Japan in Seiichi Yoshida's ''How to Prepare Delicious and Economical Chinese Dishes'' (1928). In the book, Yoshida describes how to make ''ramen'' using flour and ''kansui'', kneading it by hand, and stretching it with an illustration. He also states that ''ramen'' is better suited for soup or cold noodles than for baked noodles. In this case, however, ''ramen'' refers to Chinese noodles, not the dish. The first mention of ''ramen'' as a dish appears in Hatsuko Kuroda's ''Enjoyable Home Cooking'' (1947).

Early ramen or ramen-like dishes went by different names, such as , named after the city which was the then capital of China), or . For example, in 1903, in Yokohama Chinatown (then known as Nanjing Town), there was a .

Until the 1950s, ramen was most commonly called , but today or just () are more common, as the word (, meaning 'China') has acquired a pejorative connotation through its association with Japanese imperialism.

History

Origin

Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups.NHK World. ''Japanology Plus: Ramen''. 2014. Accessed 2015-03-08. It is first recorded to have appeared in Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century. Although ramen takes its name from '' lāmiàn,'' it did not originate from the hand-pulled lamian noodles of northern China, since the noodles used in ramen are cut, not pulled. Rather, ramen is derived from southern Chinese noodle dishes such as ''char siu tangmian'' (roast pork noodle soup) from Guangdong, and ''rousi tangmian'' (sliced meat noodle soup) from Jiangnan. This is reflective of Yokohama Chinatown's demographics, as most Chinese settlers in the district came from the cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Sōmen is another type of noodle of Chinese origin made from wheat flour, but in Japan it is distinguished from the noodles used in ramen. The noodles used for ramen today are called and are made with ''kansui'' (, alkaline salt water), but since there is no natural ''kansui'' in Japan, it was difficult to make ''chūkamen'' before the Meiji Restoration (1868).

The official diary of Shōkoku-ji Temple in Kyoto, , mentions eating , noodles with ''kansui'', in 1488. ''Jīngdàimiàn'' is the noodle of the Yuan dynasty. This is the earliest record of ''kansui'' noodles being eaten in Japan.

One theory says that ramen was introduced to Japan during the 1660s by the neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Shunsui, who served as an advisor to Tokugawa Mitsukuni after he became a refugee in Japan to escape Manchu rule. Mitsukuni became the first Japanese person to eat ramen. However, the noodles Mitsukuni ate were a mixture of starch made from lotus root and wheat flour, which is different from ''chūkamen'' with ''kansui''.

According to historians, the more plausible theory is that ramen was introduced to Japan in the late 19thShin-Yokohama Raumen Museum or early 20th centuries by Chinese immigrants living in Yokohama Chinatown. By 1900, restaurants serving Chinese cuisine from Guangzhou and Shanghai offered a simple dish of noodles, a few toppings, and a broth flavored with salt and pork bones. Many Chinese living in Japan 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'' (, from the Portuguese ) 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.

First store

According to ramen expert Hiroshi Osaki, the first specialized ramen shop was ' (), which opened in 1910 in Asakusa, Tokyo. The Japanese founder, Kan'ichi Ozaki (尾崎貫一), employed twelve Cantonese cooks from Yokohama's Chinatown and served the ramen arranged for Japanese customers.新横浜ラーメン博物館「日本のラーメンの歴史」
/ref> Early versions were wheat noodles in broth topped with char siu. The store also served standard Chinese fare like wontons and shumai, and is sometimes regarded as the origin of Japanese-Chinese fusion dishes like ''chūkadon'' and ''tenshindon

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases