Aoyama Gakuin College of Economics students entering from the work force　Present

世界の料理　the world Food

15．インスタント・ヌードル　Instant Noodle

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Created  by Koji Yanoma

序文

　少しお腹がすいたとき、食事を作るのが面倒なとき、必ず頭に浮かんでくるもの。皆さんは何を思い浮かべるだろうか。私はインスタントラーメンがすぐに思い浮かんでしまう。皆さんの中にも私と同じようにインスタントラーメンを思い浮かべる人がたくさんいるのではないだろうか。この、簡単に調理できて尚且つ奥の深いものに我々日本人は魅了され続けている。

そんなインスタントラーメン（即席ラーメン）に私は興味を抱いた。

インスタントラーメンは我々日本人にとってはなくてはならないものになっている。私のような親元を離れて生活している人間にとっては特に重宝する食材だと感じる。

近年では、多くの種類や味が開発されており簡単に作れるのにも関わらず、かなりしっかりとしたものにできあがっている。意外なことにこのインスタントラーメンは日本の日清が初めて発明したものである。

この日本人を魅了する食べ物、インスタントラーメンの歴史と経緯を追っていこうと思う。

Instant noodle

On a cold winter night not long after the end of the Second World War, Nissin founder Momofuku Ando came upon a long line of people waiting to buy freshly made ramen at a black market food stall. The sight left him with a strong conviction that a life without enough food to eat is no life at all. It also provided him with the inspiration to develop Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant noodle product. The strong impression left by this scene led to Nissin's fundamental principle that “Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat.”
 
  In Japan today, a surfeit of foods from around the world is readily available. But food is not merely a means of satisfying hunger. A balanced diet is indispensable to health. This idea forms the basis of another major principle that underlies Nissin's operations: “Eating smart will enhance beauty and health.”
 
  The introduction of Chicken Ramen in 1958 created a new market and industry. Since then, instant noodles have become a universally accepted food throughout Japan and an integral part of the Japanese culinary lifestyle. With its operations now on a global scale, Nissin aims to develop new foods help solve the increasingly severe problems of worldwide food supply, based on its principle that “the creation of food will serve society.”
 
  The concepts and philosophies that underlie Nissin and its history are embodied in the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, which opened in November 1999 in Ikeda City, Osaka, Japan. As the inscription at the museum reads: “In 1958, Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles here in Ikeda, and changed the food culture of the world.” With the introduction of Space Ram (space ramen) in July 2005 as a food for space flight, perhaps it can now be said that he changed the food culture of the universe.

インスタントラーメンについて（１）

Although it is the fact that the firstly invented instant noodle was based on "Ramen", its followers include instant versions of various noodles frequently eaten in Asian countries. They are completely different from "Ramen." The differences lay in noodle's ingredients, cooking method, texture, and broth's ingredients, cookign methods. Also the topping variatiton is also differernt. In short, there is no similarity between those noodles and ramen except that they are noodles.

Since instant noodles in cups or plastic packages are well known all over the world, for many living outside of Japan, "Ramen" is synonymous with those instant (dried) noodles. But in Japan, Ramen is a bowl dish served at specialized shops at which they cook broth from scratch. In fact, Momofuku Ando, the former Chairman of Niisin Corp. invented instant noodle/ cup noodle trying to reproduce ramen being served at specialized shops at home with ease. Of course, instant ramens are very popular and consumed a lot in Japan. But there is a clear distinction between instant ramens and ramens at restaurants.

Ramen is obviously originated in China as in some restaurants in Japan ramen is called "Chuuka-soba (meaning Chinese Noodle literally )" instead of ramen. It is said to have been brought in Japan around 100 years ago. In the last century, Ramen has been continuously reformed, progressed, developed to meet Japanese taste and furnished as Japanese national favorite. Since no equivalent noodle dish can be found in current China to Ramen in Japan, ramen should be recognized as Japanese food originated in China.

Since the word "Ramen" reminds you of instant noodles, many seems to have thought mistakenly that cooking "Real" ramen is easy as well. This is a complete misunderstanding. It takes at the shortest several hours. Some shops take a day or longer just to prepare broth. Moreover, the temperature, moisture, and the conditions of ingredients will affect the taste and flavor, so close and unremitting attention is required to keep the stable serving. It is said that it requires years-long practical training to master be a ramen chef.

You may get surprised to see everybody slurping ramen without hint of hesitation in ramen shops in Japan. Yes, Japanese do not mind making noise eating not only but also other kinds of noodles like soba and udon. I knew some explained slurping noodles is to express appreciation. This is funny but it's not true. Japanese love noodles so much that they just devote themselves in eating it and do not care making noise.

インスタントラーメンについて（２）