Why ramen in Japan is more than just a bowl of noodles – it’s an experience
- Ramen, a dish of wheat noodles copied from China, is served in multiple different ways in Japan, with a variety of broth flavours and toppings offered to diners
- With ramen being a difficult dish to replicate at home, many Japanese go out to restaurants two or three times a week to eat their favourite noodles
Spicy, steaming, slurpy ramen might be everyone’s favourite Japanese food.
In Tokyo, long queues circle around blocks, and waiting an hour for your ramen is normal. What awaits might be just a dive, but a hot bowl of ramen rarely fails to hit the spot.
Often cooked right before your eyes, the noodle dish starts at around 1,000 yen (US$6.50) here, and comes in various flavours and local versions. There’s salty, soy-based shoyu or miso paste.
Perhaps it’s red-hot spicy with a dash of chilli. Sometimes there’s no soup at all but a sauce to dip the noodles in.
Ramen has surged in popularity in the United States, South Korea and other places. Retail sales in the US have risen 72 per cent since 2000, according to NielsenIQ, a sales tracker. In the past year, Americans bought more than US$1.6 billion worth.
In restaurants, versions beyond the traditional soup are appearing.
