Young Cho: History, Forms, and Impact of Instant Noodles in Japan, South Korea, and China

Abstract:

Instant noodles are known for being an inexpensive, quick to prepare, and filling food item. The origin of instant noodles is tied to the introduction of ramen noodles to China through noodle dishes from the Chinese, with origins dating back to the 1660s during the rule of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Demand for ramen noodles increased in Japan post-World War II, when the United States saturated the Japanese market with cheap wheat flour to compensate for Japan’s poor harvest and Japanese troops were returning home from China. Around this time a Taiwanese-Japanese man named Momofuku Ando discovered instant noodles when he fried wheat-noodles in oil, leading to the creation of the first instant ramen, Chikin Ramen, in 1958. From Japan, instant noodle technology spread to South Korea and China, where they were introduced in the early 1960s and became popular. In Japan, South Korea, and China, instant noodle dishes reflect the tastes and noodle dishes of their respective cultures, which allowed them to thrive in their respective regions. Even though instant noodles have been widely accepted in all three regions, sales of instant noodles fell in China in 2013 to 2016, reflecting the Chinese medicinal values of not eating in one flavor, in this case saltiness. In a study done by South Korean researchers on college students in Seoul, excessive consumption of instant noodles has been linked to an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Instant noodles have appeared in popular culture through television, video games, a museum, and its association with college students.

            Often referred to as the life-blood of college students due to being inexpensive, quick, and filling, instant noodles are stocked in supermarkets worldwide. The concept of having adding boiling water to premade dry noodles and flavoring powder, waiting a few minutes, and having a steaming bowl of noodles is a stark contrast to how noodle dishes are traditionally made, which includes kneading dough to make the noodles from wheat and flour and creating the sauce or broth from scratch, which could take hours of preparation. This study will highlight the history, forms, and impact of this popular noodle product in East Asia, specifically in its home country Japan, as well as South Korea and China, where instant noodles have become just as popular.

            In order to understand the origin of instant noodles, we need to understand the origin of ramen, the noodle dish the first forms of instant noodles were based on. According to George Solt’s book, The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Global Food Craze, although ramen’s precise origin in Japan is hard to pinpoint, all stories of the start of ramen tie back to China. The earliest one, dating back to the 1660s, is a record from Japanese feudal lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni, which describes a recipe Chinese-style noodle dish that was given to him by his advisor, a Chinese refugee from the Ming dynasty (Solt, 16). Another story links the Opening to Japan event by American Commodore Matthew Perry and his gunships in 1853. As Japan was forced to open port cities, such as Yokohoma, Kobe, Nagasaki, and Hakodate, for trade, not only did Americans and Europeans arrive to trade in Japan, but also Chinese, which made key ramen ingredients, such as pork and wheat, more readily available (Solt, 17-18). Additionally, Chinese traders brought with them their methods of cooking, which included a noodle soup called lamein which consisted of hand-pulled noodles in a chicken soup with scallions (Solt, 18). The Japanese came to call this noodle dish Nankin soba, after the Chinese city of Nanjing. The last origin story, and the one that is generally accepted, is from 1910, where a Chinese restaurant in the Asakusa district of Tokyo sold a dish called Shina soba, which contained Chinese ingredients such as chashu (Chinese-style roast pork) and Japanese ingredients such as nori (Japanese seaweed) and naruto (circular cured fish paste) to match Japanese tastes, resulting in a dish resembling modern Tokyo-style ramen (Solt, 19). As the Japanese already had their own noodles, such as somen and oden, ramen was easily integrated into Japanese cuisine.

            Regardless of its time of introduction, popularity of ramen in Japan increased in the years following World War II. In the winter of 1945, Japan, under American occupation, experienced one of its worst rice harvests in history. As a result, the United States sent cheap wheat flour to compensate for the poor harvest, which, coupled with the return of Japanese soldiers from China in 1950, increased ramen production and demand in Japan (JNTO). Due to the famine, selling food for profit was prohibited in Japan, although wheat did get into the black market. This allowed daring vendors to sell ramen, though at the risk of spending time in jail if caught (Solt, 43).

            Around this time, in 1958, that a Taiwanese-Japanese man named Momofuku Ando discovered instant noodles. Due to the long wait times to get into noodle restaurants at the time, he wanted to create a noodle dish that anyone could eat at their own convenience (Zhang et. al., 212). After the credit union he worked in filed for bankruptcy in 1957, Ando built a small shed in his backyard to pursue his dream of producing ramen noodles that “can be quickly prepared and eaten at home with only hot water.” One day, he witnessed his wife making tempura, a Japanese deep-fried dish consisting of battered and fried foods such as vegetables and seafood. Seeing as the tempura flour gave off moisture in the form of bubbles, he was inspired to try the same with noodles. He discovered that frying noodles in oil drove off most of their moisture, preventing them from decomposing and therefore being able to be stored for long periods at a time. He also discovered that pouring hot water over the noodles rehydrated the noodles (NISSIN). Armed with this knowledge, Ando created the first instant noodle, Chikin Ramen, in 1958. Contrary to how it is viewed today, back when it was first introduced to the market, one package of Chikin Ramen was over six times more expensive than a bundle of udon noodles, which only sold for six yen. Despite the significant difference in price compared to traditional Japanese noodles, Chikin Ramen grew in popularity in Japan due to factors like the increase in households where both parents had to work, the introduction of Western-style supermarkets that allowed for higher volumes of processed foods, and due to use of television advertisements (NISSIN). In order to prevent imitation products from interfering with sales, Ando filed and won a lawsuit for the copyright of instant noodles in 1960 and filed for a copyright for “chicken soup hand-pulled noodles” two years later. He founded the Japan Hand-Pulled Noodle Industry Association in 1964 and transferred his patent to the noodle industry in order to lower the cost of instant noodles (Zhang et. al., 212). The success of Chikin Ramen prompted Ando and his company, Nissin Foods, to create their next product, Nissin Cup Noodles, in 1971, which added a polystyrene container and dried vegetables and seafood along with the ramen, requiring only hot water to make. As Nissin began importing instant ramen noodles to countries like the United States in the late 1960s, the term ramen has since become synonymous with instant noodles worldwide. Although today Nissin holds the majority of the market share in instant noodles in Japan with products such as Top Ramen and Cup Noodles and has imported its instant noodle products to over 80 countries (NISSIN). Other notable instant noodle companies include Sapporo Ichiban, Acecook Co., Toyo Suisan, and Myojo Foods.

            From Japan, it did not take long for instant noodles to reach nearby countries such as South Korea and China. In South Korea, instant noodles were first introduced by Samyang Foods on September 15, 1963 with the help of Myojo Foods, which supplied Samyang Foods with the technology to make the noodles, such as conveyor belts (Samyang). Then, in 1965, Lotte Foods (now Nongshim) entered the market with Lotte Ramyeon, which served as a precursor for arguably the most popular Korean instant noodle, Shin Ramyeon, in 1986. As noodle dishes such as nangmyeon (cold noodle dish made from buckwheat noodles) and janchi guksu (Korean noodle soup served in an anchovy broth) were already established long before the arrival of instant noodles in the Joseon (1392) and Goryeo (1251) dynasties, respectively, instant noodles were easily accepted by Koreans. The Korean term for instant noodle, “ramyeon,” is considered separate from the Japanese instant “ramen,” which Koreans instead call “Japanese ramyeon.” Ramyeon in Korea became a popular ‘yashik,’ or late-night food, as well as a quick, inexpensive meal for busy businessmen or college students. Ramyeon is eaten so extensively in South Korea, that it is sometimes referred to as, “the food of the people” (Hurwitz). South Korea also has the highest number of ramen noodles eaten per person from data from the World Instant Noodles Association in 2013, at 74.1 packages per capita (Kim). Today, some of the leading instant noodle brands in South Korea include Nongshim, Samyang, Ottogi, and Pulmone.

In China, a country with an extensive history of noodles dating back to the Han dynasty in 206 BC (Zhang et. al., 209), instant noodles were introduced in the early 1960s and became popular around the country in the 1980s and 1990s (Hermesauto). Even before then, Nissin, in cooperation with the International Food Company in Taiwan, introduced chicken soup instant ramen in 1968. Although the initial sales were dismal, after alterations to match Chinese tastes, the instant noodles became the best-selling product in Taiwan (Zhang et. al., 212). In Hong Kong, the Cantonese Yi mien, or long-life noodles, were a form of noodles that were deep-fried before they were dried, a process similar to that of instant noodles. The story goes that a chef from the Qing dynasty, chef Yi Bingshou, who was preparing for his mother’s birthday feast, accidently put cooked egg noodles in a boiling pan. The chef, realizing his mistake too late, fried the noodles in hot oil, and served them in soup. Due to this similarity in preparation, early instant noodles in China had ‘Yi mien’ on their packaging (Zhang et. al., 211). In addition, while Hong Kong based Winner Food Products Ltd imported instant noodles from Japan in the late 1960s and sold them under the name “Doll Noodles” before manufacturing the noodles themselves to meet high demand (Lo). Although Nissin acquired Winner Foods in 1988, instant noodles in Hong Kong are still referred to as “Doll Noodles” by some locals (Lo). Since then, instant noodle production has been handled by major Chinese food companies, including Tingyi, whose Master Kong, also known as Kangshifu, brand of noodles reportedly owned 43.3 percent of the instant noodle market in China in 2008 (Dobson). Chinese often have instant noodles as a quick meal on cross-country train rides, resembling the Japanese practice of eating bento boxes on Shinkansen bullet trains (Atkinson). Tingyi’s rivals Nissin Hualon and Uni-President owned 14.2 percent and 10.5 percent of the market share in 2008, respectively (Dobson). China is currently the largest consumer of instant noodles, eating 46.2 billion packets in 2013 alone.

Even though instant noodles had a humble beginning as simple, Japanese chicken broth ramen, the highly customizable nature of instant noodles to South Korea and China allowed instant noodles to take distinct flavors and forms to match the tastes or emulate dishes of their cultures, which allowed them to succeed in all three regions. Starting with its home country of Japan, while Nissin still produces its beloved Cup Noodles and Chikin Ramen, it has collaborated with ramen restaurants such as Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto to both advertise the restaurant and allow one to enjoy the taste of restaurant quality ramen in the comfort of one’s home. Most instant ramen in Japan come in flavors such as tonkotsu (pork), shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso (soybean-paste), flavors traditionally associated with ramen sold in traditional ramen shops. However, in addition to traditional flavors there are also Japanese curry-flavored ramen, where the powder for broth is replaced with Japanese curry powder. Besides ramen, yakisoba instant noodles are also popular in Japan. Some notable instant Yakisoba from Japan include Nissin’s U.F.O., Maruka food’s Peyang Yakisoba, and Myojo Food’s Ippeichan Yakisoba. Unlike ramen, yakisoba is a traditional sauce-based street food noodle, with its instant forms only requiring hot water, and replaces the standard soup base powder with a packet of yakisoba sauce.

In South Korea, most noodle dishes are characteristically red and spicy, including the most popular South Korean instant noodle, Shin Ramyeon. Consisting of wheat noodles in a spicy beef-based broth, this instant noodle highlights Korea’s preference for spicy foods, as seen in the consumption of red baechu kimchi (red-pepper paste fermented cabbage) and gochujang (red pepper paste). Spicy instant noodles from South Korea include Nongshim’s Neoguri ramen, Ottogi’s Jin Rameyon. South Koreans often add on to their instant noodles, adding ingredients such as bean sprouts, boiled or fried egg, scallions, and mushrooms, transforming the simple packet of ramen into a substantial meal. Korean instant ramyeon is also commonly eaten with cabbage kimchi (Hurwitz). Besides ramyeon, South Korean instant noodles reflect the diversity of noodle dishes found in South Korea. There are instant forms of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), bibimmyeon (cold noodles mixed with a sweet-spicy red pepper sauce), jjajangmyeon (Chinese-inspired noodles covered in a fried black bean sauce), and jjamppong (Chinese-inspired spicy seafood noodles). In recent years, there has been a trend of fusion foods in South Korean instant noodles. For example, take the recent internet sensation Buldak Bokkum Myeon, or fire chicken mixed noodles, released by Samyang in 2012. This instant noodle combines traditional ramen noodles with flavoring that resembles the Korean spicy chicken dish, buldak, into the noodles, complete with seaweed flakes and sesame seeds that one would find on the original dish. Another Korean instant noodle fusion food trend is the addition of cheese flavoring to traditional instant noodles. A recent Korean instant noodle trend that started five years ago, the Korean instant noodle company Paldo Foods released Cheese Ramyeon, a version of spicy ramyeon that included a packet of cheese powder in addition to powdered soup base, dehydrated vegetables, and noodles. Since then, other companies such as Ottogi have produced their own versions of cheese ramyeon. For instance, the aforementioned Buldak Ramen also received versions that included a powder for cheese and carbonara sauce in 2016 and 2017, respectively. It is said that this addition of powdered cheese to instant noodles came from the habit of some South Koreans who put American cheese on their food after its introduction to Korea by American troops during the Korean war (Hu).

In China, flavors such as beef, seafood, and spicy chili are commonly found in instant noodles. In particular, the leading brand of Chinses noodles, Master Kong, is known for its braised beef flavor. Like Korea and Japan, some instant noodle dishes imitate local flavors. For instance, Master Kong’s Tomato Sauce Instant Noodle attempts to replicate the flavor Sichuan tomato egg noodles. Another instant noodle brand, Baijia, incorporates key elements of Sichuan cuisine into their Sichuan line of products such as spiciness (chili oil) and Sichuan peppers. China also imports instant noodles from other countries, such as Shin Ramyeon from South Korea.

Although instant noodles became popular and eaten by many across Japan, South Korea, and China, over time, its consumption has been met with some resistance. For instance, the number of instant noodle packets eaten in China declined from 46.2 billion packets in 2013 to 38.5 billion packets in 2016, while consumption in all other markets remained constant over the years (Atkinson). While this trend can be attributed to the population shift of people from urban to rural areas since 2014 and the rise of the food delivery system in China (Atkinson), the main motivation for the decrease in consumption of instant noodle in China can be explained through traditional Chinese food culture’s association with health.

As explained in Lin Yutang’s The Importance of Living, the Chinese believe it is “a pretty crazy life when one eats in order to work and does not work in order to eat.” Food is seen as one of the main forms of enjoyment in China, with Yutang mentioning that Chinese people’s lives were “not in the lap of the gods, but in the lap of their cooks” (Yutang, 248). Given this ideology, the Chinese had no distinction between food and medicine, with doctors as early as 6^th century AD, attempting to cure illnesses with food first before medicine. Early Chinese cookbooks resembled pharmacopoeias, and Chinese medicine shops had medicinal ingredients, such as the horns of a young deer, next to ham (Yutang, 250). One important principle that connects Chinese food to medicine is the harmonizing of flavors—sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and pungent. Each flavor has a certain benefit to health by affecting different organs, such as bitterness helping the stomach and producing saliva. Instant noodles are categorized as salty, both due to the addition of salt in the noodle-making process and the use of salt in the broth. For instance, South Korea’s Shin Ramyeon noodles, which are also popular in China, contains 930 mg of sodium, 39 percent of the daily value of sodium. Eating excessively in one flavor, in this case saltiness, is frowned upon in Chinese society as it brings imbalance to the body. Therefore, the declining numbers of instant noodle sales from 2013 to 2016 can be explained as the rise of a more health-conscious China holding reviving its traditional values on food during the global increase in ‘unbalanced’ processed foods.

Continuing in topic of health, it has been shown that overconsumption of instant noodles was linked to obesity and higher risk of cardiometabolic disease. A study conducted on college students in Seoul, South Korea found an association frequent consumption of instant noodles to an increased risk factors of cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes (Huh et. al.). Recent studies also reported a positive correlation between obesity and frequent instant noodle consumption, as well as an increasing trend of premature death due to cardiovascular diseases in young adults 20 to 49 years of age in South Korea (Huh et. al.). Instant noodles, made with refined wheat flour (carbohydrate), as well as containing high amounts of calories, and fats. The soup powder or sauce also contributes fats and sugar, increasing the risk of cardiometabolic disease (Huh et. al.). In response to health concerns, noodle manufacturers have opted to alter the manufacturing process of instant noodles, such as dehydrating the noodles using hot air, which results in less fat content than traditional instant noodles, which are dehydrated by flash-frying. In 2016, Nissin reduced the amount of sodium and decided not to use MSG in their Cup Noodles (NISSIN).

In popular culture, instant noodles have been featured in television, internet, video games, and even has its own dedicated museum. Many South Korean movies and dramas feature scenes where characters are eating instant noodles, often in their bowl-noodle form, outside of a convenience store. Recently, in 2014 Samyang’s Buldak Bokkum Myeon became immensely popular not only in South Korea, but overseas as well due to it being the focus of an internet challenge called, “The Fire Noodle Challenge,” due to its intense spicy flavor. First done on the channel “Korean Englishman,” this challenge required the participants to finish a bowl of Buldak Noodles without a means to cool down the heat from the noodles. The video went viral, with other YouTubers filming themselves doing the challenge as well. In Japan, Nissin partnered with video game developer Square Enix in 2016 to cross-promote their video game, Final Fantasy XV. Advertisements for the game were present on Cup Noodle packages in 2016 while in-game content promoting Cup Noodles appeared within the game as product placement (Frank). Additionally, Cup Noodles has its own dedicated museum in Yokohoma dedicated to the accomplishments of creator Momofuku Ando and the Nissin. The interactive museum features the history and spread of Nissin products, including a replica of the shed where Ando discovered the method of flash-frying noodles. The museum even contains workshops that allows one to make their own cup noodles by mixing and matching toppings and soup flavorings (Cup Noodle Museum). However, the most well-known use of instant noodles in popular culture is its constant association with college students. Due to being inexpensive, time-saving, and filling, instant noodles have become one of the more affordable food options for college students. This, along with the prevailing stereotype that college students are poor, has led to many jokes and associations with college students as ‘ramen-eaters’ in not only East Asian countries like South Korea and China, but overseas in the United States as well.

            From its humble beginnings as a solution to waiting in long lines in Japan to an inexpensive meal that became popular among college students, instant noodles have become a prominent food product in Japan, South Korea, and China. The rise in popularity of the instant noodle can be attributed to its inexpensiveness, as well as its relatively short-time of preparation. The instant noodle also adapted to the tastes of the people of Japan, South Korea, and China, which allowed it to thrive in all three countries as a prominent form of noodles. Although excessive consumption has been linked to health issues, instant noodle companies are coming up with alternative processing techniques to make instant noodles a viable meal option. As instant noodle products continue to evolve and spread globally, perhaps one day they might truly become a “food of the people” across all cultures.

 

 

 

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