Instant Noodles: A Great Japanese Invention

There’s a reason why instant noodles are considered to be one of the greatest Japanese inventions of the 20th century. It’s so easy to cook. Just add hot water in its cup and voila! You already have food you can snack on.

The mastermind behind this is Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. He came up with this idea during the post World War II era when there was food shortage among its citizens. The country’s Ministry of Health encouraged the citizens to eat bread which was a staple food for the Americans. The Japanese were not used to this, and so, Ando thought of feeding his people something that was more familiar to them—noodles. After months of experimenting, he finally crafted and efficient flash frying method which enables him to precook, package, and sell instant noodles. Whoever bought it can just cook it in boiling water for a few minutes. It was on August 25, 1958 when Ando sold his first pre-packed and chicken-flavoured noodles, Chickin Ramen. The instant noodles took Japan by storm, and pretty soon, was available all over the world. Under the Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd., the company he established to produce these instant noodles, he came up with another brilliant idea. In 1971, he started to market the instant cup noodles. Instead of boiling the noodles for a few minutes, you can just add hot water in its cup, cover the lid for about a minute, and eat! The idea just clicked among the masses and it revolutionized the way instant noodles were prepared. Pretty soon, the instant noodles came in different broth flavours. Other ingredients such as dried vegetables were also added to make it more flavourful. Until now, instant noodles are just as popular as the day they were introduced to the world. It’s usually the choice snack of people who are always on the go! Of course, nothing still beats the real ramen. For ramen places in Singapore, click here. Japanese food by foodies, for foodies Can't get enough? More ramen you have to try