Ramen: 59 Photos & Videos
Homemade Ramen
FAQ
Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups. 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.
Ramen noodles are not inherently healthy or unhealthy, but they provide limited nutritional value on their own. They contain carbohydrates, fats, protein and some micronutrients like B vitamins and iron. Objectively speaking, instant ramen noodles may not be the most nutritious option out there.
Simply put, ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, with a combination of a rich flavoured broth, one of a variety of types of noodle and a selection of meats or vegetables, often topped with a boiled egg.
One especially popular dish was called la mian, or “stretched out noodles” in Cantonese, which Japanese customers adopted as ramen, now a staple of noodle shops throughout the country. Unlike the thick buckwheat noodles called udon, ramen are egg noodles, which cook quickly.
Ramen is actually of Chinese origin, with most historians agreeing that it was brought to Japan by Chinese immigrants living in Yokohama in the late 19th century. Today, ramen restaurants offer a variety of styles and toppings, but early iterations of ramen were simpler—wheat noodles with Chinese-style roasted pork.