The story of ramen: how instant noodles became a global legend

According to The Conversation, more than 100 billion servings of ramen are eaten around the world per year, making it a global fast food icon.

But how was the idea born and why did the noodles become the food of not only students but also astronauts?

The origins of ramen go back to 1910, when a former Japanese customs officer, Ozaki Kan'ichi Ozaki, opened a Chinese restaurant called Rai-Rai Ken in Tokyo. He served a dish called chuka soba - wheat noodles in a broth with soy sauce, pork, nori and fishcake. Kansui, an alkaline water known in China, was used to give it its characteristic firmness and colour.

This food was ideal for the working class and students: hearty, cheap, quick. Even then it was sold from street carts and cafes.

During the Second World War, street food outlets were banned in Japan to protect food. After the war, the Americans introduced cards and began importing wheat to fight hunger. However, the system was ineffective and the flour ended up on the black market, where it was again turned into noodles.

Taiwanese immigrant Momofuku Ando, observing the queues for noodles, decided to come up with a solution: to invent a product that would keep for a long time and cook quickly.

His famous phrase:

"The world will live in peace when all people have enough to eat."

In 1958, after experimenting in his backyard shed, Ando had an idea: frying noodles in oil removes moisture and preserves the product. He created Instant Cook Chikin Ramen, the first noodles that could be cooked in 2 minutes by simply adding water.

Ando popularised the word ramen by adapting the Chinese la-men (hand noodles). Although the Japanese version was rolled and cut rather than pulled, the name caught on.

The first product cost six times the price of regular noodles, but quickly became cheaper. In 1971, Nissin introduced noodles in Styrofoam cups - just pour boiling water over them.

By the end of the 20th century, the Japanese recognised ramen as the greatest invention of the century. Japan has two instant noodle museums, but the record for per capita consumption is broken by Vietnam, followed by Korea and Thailand.

In US prisons, ramen became a substitute for cigarettes after the smoking ban - it became currency, a staple and a way to "pump up" prison rations.

Even in space it has found a place: in 2005, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi took a special version of Space Ram with him.

In Thailand, Mama even uses a "noodle index" to track crises: the worse the economy, the higher the sales.