The invention and the development of Instant Noodles

The process for turning the traditional Japanese Ramen noodles into the now familiar instant, packaged noodles was pioneered by Momofuku Ando. He founded of Nissin Foods in Japan shortly after World War II, when the country did not have enough food to feed itself. After he lost his job, Ando decided to spend his life working in the food industry. He turned his house into a small research laboratory, looking for a way to process noodles so they could be stored and prepared quickly. After considerable trial and error, he found out that, like tempura, deep-frying boiled noodles in very hot oil can remove water from them. Before they are eaten, numerous small holes on the surface allow the added hot water to quickly penetrate and return the noodles to their original condition.

In 1958, his instant noodle "Chicken Ramen" was first sold and was nickname "Magic Ramen". The new type of noodle was so popular and was sold out overnight. The rapid growth of the product can be attributed to its simplicity, sanitary packaging, preservability, and good taste. But the real turning point no doubt came with the introduction of cup-type noodles, where the food was prepared simply by pouring hot water over the dried contents, and the meal would be available in a few minutes.

In 1966, Ando was inspired by the way the instant noodle was sampled in an promotion campaign in the US, he then developed and marketed a new product called "Cup Noodles" in 1971. The change in packaging from bags to cups spurred the growth of instant noodle so that today, instant ramen has become an integral part of the Japanese diet. The product had also enjoyed great popularity overseas, with many imitators. The Japanese word ramen is now recognized in many parts of the world as being synonymous with instant noodles. Therefore today, Japanese instant noodles have become well established as part of the fast food culture, in the same manner as hamburgers and fried chicken.