History
Instant noodles were invented by Taiwan-born inventor Momofuku Ando in Japan. They were first marketed on August 25, 1958, by Ando's company Nissin under the brand name Chikin Ramen (チキンラーメン). Ando developed the production method of flash frying the noodles after they had been made, creating "instant" noodles. This dried the noodles and gave them a longer shelf life. Each block of noodles was pre-seasoned and sold for 35 yen. Initially, due to its price and novelty, Chikin Ramen was considered a luxury item, as Japanese grocery stores typically sold fresh noodles for one-sixth their price. Despite this, instant noodles eventually gained immense popularity, especially after being promoted by Mitsubishi Corporation.
In 1971, Nissin introduced the Cup Noodles, instant noodles in a waterproof polystyrene cup, to which boiling water is added to cook the noodles. A further innovation added dried vegetables to the cup, creating a complete instant soup dish.
According to a Japanese poll in the year 2000, "the Japanese believe that their best invention of the twentieth century was instant noodles." As of 2010, approximately 95 billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year. China consumes 42 billion packages of instant noodles per year – 44% of world consumption – Indonesia, 14 billion; Japan, 5.3 billion, Vietnam 4.8 billion, USA 4 billion. Per capita, South Koreans consume the greatest amount of instant noodles, 69 per capita per year.
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