alternative names:
shina soba, chūka soba

type:
noodle soup

serving temperature:
hot

main ingredients:
chinese wheat noodles, meat or fish-based broth, vegetables and/or meat

(a yakibuta ramen recipe)

ramen is a japanese noodle soup dish. you may remember it as uzumaki naruto's (from naruto) favorite dish.

it consists of chinese-style wheat noodles, served in a meat or fish-based broth often flavored with soy sauce or miso. various toppings are used in different kinds of ramen, some examples are sliced pork (chāshū), dried seaweed (nori), menma, and green onions (negi).

there are many kinds of ramen, nearly every region of japan having their own kind.

ramen's origin is unclear. some say it is of chinese origin but other sources say that it was invented in japan in the early 20th century. however, ramen is more widely said as a japanese dish.

the name ramen is the japanese pronunciation of the chinese lamian. until the 1950s, ramen was called shina soba literally meaning chinese soba. today, chuka soba (also meaning chinese soba) or just ramen are more common.

by 1900, restaurants serving chinese cuisine from canton and shanghai offered a simple ramen dish of noodled (which were cut rather than hand-pulled), 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 gyoza dumplings to workers. by the mid-1900s, these stalls used a type of musical horn called a charumera (from the portugese charamela) to advertise their presence. by the early showa period, ramen had become a popular dish when eating out.

in 1958, instant noodles were invented by momofuku ando, the taiwanese-japanese founder and chairman of nissin foods now run by his son, koki ando. it was named the greatest japanese invention of the 20th century in a japanese poll.

fun fact:
there is a ramen museum located in the shin-yokohama district of kohoku-ku, yokohama in japan. it's name is the shin-yokohama raumen museum.

sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ramen