How the Cup Noodles Empire Was Built
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2023
- Weird History Food is gonna give you the History of Cup Noodles. Cup Noodle, from Nissin Foods, is known for being in about every college dorm and kitchen pantry across the United States. The inspiration for Cup Noodles came from Ando Momofuku's trip to the US in 1966. Let's find out how Ando made these noodles became so successful. We promise this video is pretty low in sodium.
#cupnoodle #instantramen #weirdhistoryfood 
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It's rare that a video on a subject that's already been covered elsewhere can cover a bunch of information I never heard of. Brilliant and not a waste of time. Thank you, Weird History.
Quit sucking up.
Jk...lol
Poor fella, you dont read much do you?
What do you mean elsewhere?
No idea what 'elsewhere' means in this context, this might be at best the second video I've watched on noodz and this may well be the second time I've watched this one 'at worst'. Reading is awesome
In regards to OP it's such an observation you can make, watching enough youtube videos - not every one has every thing to say. It actually is common enough that I often 'take the opportunity' to watch a second video if I'm particularly interested and want to build 'authority' on a subject (understanding it's the beginning of that)
@dsxa918 Wow. Okay. I have to admit that as a fact hound, I have followed a few rabbit holes on trivial subjects. Ramen has a lot more behind it than RUclips videos. To imply that I don't read is presumptuous and a little rude, but I guess that's the culture we have on the Internet: snarky, condescending, presumptuous and judgmental. Shame, really.
In college in the mid 1970's, I had a roommate from Taiwan. She introduced me to ramen noodles. At that time you could only buy them in Chinatown. I used to get them by the case.
Now they're the staple comfort food for college students today.
Funny as I STILL get them by the case!!
1. that styrofoam provides extra nutrition.
2. no human has ever been to "O uter S pace", ever..
@@strikingmachine2975 idiot, big mac's came in Styrofoam untill the liberals, flerf it's about noodles not your mental health issues. Please refrain from internet usage untill you receive treatment.
@B.H.56 yeah nongshim kimche , in Australia we get indo-mie Indonesian noodles, they even made their way into Australian military ration packs. My friends said I had a magic backpack, if I had access to hot water I had access to snacks, a feed and a cup of tea. Oh the backpack usually contained weed and a pipe as well, but that's what decoys are for.
But seriously did you get chopsticks for every cup of noodles. I did, except once (hissy fit). Now I still only use my nice sticks to eat a 60c packet or bowl of ramen.
Hissy fit was but your mother always gives me a set. My have to upgrade to a very nice Japanese set. Or Korean. My biggest problem is should I have Indian or Vietnamese for dinner tonight. Sorry def pork rolls for lunch and chicken tikka for dinner. Oh didn't watch the vid came for the comments.
Annnnd... my stomach's college food budget induced PTSD returns.
The wild part about Momofuku ando's story was he technically wasn't a Japanese citizen between 1945 (when he gave up japanese citizenship to keep his property on Taiwan) and 1966
He was a Taiwanese Hokkien.
So he half in between
I was introduced to ramen while stationed in Korea in the 80s. Some of our field problems would last over a month and no one wants to eat MREs for that long, so we would each buy a case of ramen & mix & match to make our own gourmet dinners!
A hot bowl of instant noodles taste like heaven during field camp
Sounds like how the Korean soldiers came up with the K-Army stew. They took their ramyun and added whatever rations the USA soldiers gave them, like spam, hot dogs, beans, etc. in order to make a bigger meal.
Wait if you were stationed in korea, why were you having to eat m r e's and Ramen?
Shouldn't there have been a field kitchen?
Lol when I was in jail my cell mates were crazy with the ramen. We would make like 7 packs and put all of our dinner plates together to make one huge random meal. For thanksgiving we made a Turkey and stuffing ramen dish that we all shared. Sounds gross, but it was bangin.
@@DescendingVelocityex-convict
I've probably eaten more instant ramen than anyone else should over the past 14 or so years but I never knew the origins until now. Thanks for teaching me something while I eat my breakfast, unsurprisingly, it's instant ramen
Lmao I know you love instant ramen, but get something more healthier for breakfast man haha FYI I just ate 3 cups of cup noodles today so I can't blame you
The best inventions always came from the worst time.
Thank you Ando, for making our lives a hella lot less misery!
in my teens an Asian mom showed me the magic of tossing eggs into the boiling water with the noodles to make it a meal. I'm in my 40s and it's still one of my go to quick lunch.
I'm gonna try this tomorrow thank you.
It still blows my mind that you make cup noodles in a Microwave in the US. Here in the UK, it is boil water in a kettle and pour it into the cup.
That's the suggested way it should be done here too, but sometimes people will simply cheat with the microwave. I worked in a small office when I was a college student, and we didn't have a way to boil water, so zapped it in the microwave. Using actual boiling water is superior though, the noodles cook through much better
UK brands include Pot Noodles and Bachelor Super Noodles.
You can buy both kinds here in America. They have the boil water variety. They also have a microwave type with a tougher cup and instructions for the microwave.
@@carlbirtles4518pot noodles is horrible fr but the best British brand is probably Kabuto Noodles
Because Cup Noodles weren't unhealthy enough already 😂😂😂😂
Nongshim-ShinRamyun is my favorite instant ramen. I buy it in boxes of 20, because it's that good.
Nissin brand noodles are unfortunately not available in the grocery store here in my small village in Germany, so I've never had the chance to try them. But I'm very much thankful to the inventor of instant ramen 🙏
I have tried all the types of Top Ramen (part of Nissin) and like all five of them (Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, Soy, and Chilli). For a while, I was having one of them every day!
A) you can order EVERYTHING online
B) you eat a lot of unhealthy TrashFood.
I definitely guaranteed Shinramyun is much better than any noodle of Nissin.
nissin or nissan? 😅
@@CordeliaWagner Yea, but I'm not willing to buy a 6Pack of noodles when I don't even know if I will like them or not. And they don't sell them in single packs online afaik.
Maybe the cups, but that's not what I want.
And no, I don't eat these on a daily basis, maybe once or at most twice a week, so this is nothing I do worry about.
the power of convenience meets the power of marketing
Watching this while eating cup noodles feels oddly satisfying
I love Weird History videos! 😊❤
Pretty amazing, actually what can be replicated in instant form! I once found that simple but tasty miso soup they serve you in Japanese restaurants in a Trader Joe's mix and it had exactly what you would find in a serving, right down to how it lightly clouded up and perfect little tofu pieces in it!
McCain's mini Hawaiian pizzas in the microwave is better than Dominoes.
I think the first time I tried Cup Noodles around 2010, while there were instant noodles/soup brands like Knorr or Maggi here in Argentina, there were mostly those angel hair or spaghetti-o's type of pasta. But Cup Noodles and Maruchan have found a kind of niche market here, though ironically they're kind of expensive. Still, while convenient, it doesn't beat a real bowl of fresh ramen, I think due to the popularity of anime and Japanese food culture there's more ramen restaurants here
I also find it interesting that one of the most popular Japanese inventions was the creation of a Taiwanese man and it's technically a Chinese dish, though some of the best dishes are adaptations of other cultures dishes.
Maruchan instant noodles are also very popular in Mexico
Taiwan was a Japanese colony during the earlier half of the 20th century -- my mom is mixed and speaks both Taiwanese style Mandarin and Japanese. The word "ramen" was already a loan word from Chinese. "Lo mien" is the same, as is "La Mian". I love seeing the flavors that Maruchan made to cater to the Mexican market. Chili lime shrimp is SO good!.
@@dameneko I've seen that in Mexico some people have made some "interesting" combinations with Maruchan noodles and other snack foods. In some places there're food stands where they prepare what they call "Dori-locos" (a portmanteau between Doritos and the Spanish word for crazy, "Loco"), they basically cut open a bag of Doritos, or other junk food, and fill the bag with other things, including instant noodles. Not very healthy to say the least, but it has become something of a meme
I was already an adult when it dawned on me that the word Maruchan isn't Spanish.
@@sir_ridley3886 Japanese and Spanish phonology overlap a lot, nicely so for English speakers. 'Sayonara' is another word that used to give me pause.
another fantastic video to enjoy while eating :D, thanks y'all
If you're a Cup Noodle fan, don't sleep on the varieties from Hong Kong! Black pepper crab, tom yum shrimp, all kinds of flavorful goodness and they don't skimp on the fixins!
Or Thailand. Tom yum shrimp is literally a Thai signature dish. I believe supermarkets like Wegmans carries Mama tom yum shrimp too.
@@est9949 Yeah the creamy tom yum shrimp flavor from Mama is really good, too! The HK one is not the creamy version but it is nicely seasoned.
There are also indian curry flavors. The flavors are just okay, IMO.
The thin and clear crab noodles are great if you throw some cooked prawns in once done.
I always enjoy these Weird Food History videos. I especially watch these videos while having a meal.
Maruchan has entered the chat.
Ive eaten plenty of instant ramen over my life, and one of my goals is to try as many flavors of it as possible.
If you want unique flavor, I suggest Gaga's Milk Chicken Soup from Indonesia
Try Korean cheesey instant noodles with fried eggs and kimchi. It's an odd mix but it works so well.
Hey, I recommended this video idea. Thanks a lot for picking it.
I live in Nicaragua and that stuff is available here, too. While I buy them for an occasional quick meal I'm glad you pointed out they have no nutritional value.
Ramen Noodles are the GOAT
Yeeeees😂😂😂
My fave is the seafood! With shrimp, beef, cheese, soy sauce, curry and chicken in that order… 🍜👍
Fresh Japanese ramen noodles are the GOAT, not the instant ones
Yay thank you Weird Food History for another great video
In Brazil instant ramen used to be from the brand Myojo which was part of the Nissin group or something. So to this day "miojo" is the common word for instant ramen. One popular flavor is yokel hen. There are also tagliolini and yakisoba lines of products. There are even a few sweet flavors (sweet pizza is very popular, so some might be into that). We eat it at home every once in a while for our comfort food needs. Creamy, no broth.
Thank you for this. I love instant ramen noodles and especially the cup versions.
Though i personally like the Maruchan brand more than Nissan.
I like datsun better
I like Maruchan better, too. I used to buy four cases at a time from Amazon because I could never find the soy sauce flavor in the stores. Unfortunately, the price has skyrocketed ($4 to almost $10 for a 24 case) to the point that it's becoming a luxury item. At least it's cheaper than the $21/case they wanted last year. I'm not the biggest fan of the noodles in cups, but some flavors you can't get in a brick. I've just started cutting the noodles out of the cups, putting two of them in a large mug, then adding just enough boiling water to cover. I prefer my noodles on the pasta (as opposed to soup) side, and that works well for me.
A+ video!
LOVE IT!
How was there no mention of Saporro Ichiban noodles? Those are king where I grew up in Alberta Canada. Kids would bring them to school and eat them raw, no water, and dip them in the seasoning powder.
OMG that is how kids in Hawaii ate it, too!
Yes! I grew up in Ontario and loved Nissin’s Cup O’ Noodles but now that I’m over in Alberta, it’s all Ichiban, all the time :)
Mr. Noodles is better. Fight me.
@@alexanderson7101 Have you tried Ichiban? I cant imagine you have, or you were born without a tongue. I have met people that HATE ramen, gave them Ichiban to try, and both of them were stunned at how much better they are. It was on a camping trip, and i swapped out their dry spongy Mr. Noodle for Chicken Ichiban. Their exact words "These are the best noodles i've ever had!". Do you enjoy the spongy texture? the lack of flavor?
@@alexanderson7101 Mr. Noodles is not better. Not at all.
Hahaha so hilarious and informative. I love your vid. All thumbs up!
phenomenal video and editing thank you sir!
easily your best food documentary video ❤ good job 🎉🎉
I'm so grateful for your videos. :)
Great video guys
Loved this!
I read a book to my 6th Graders called Magic Ramen. It's the story of Momofuko Ando and it aligns extremely well with this video. Going to have to show them this to compare!
I loved this history of the product, thank you !
8:07 Prima Taste have some of the best instant noodles for the record. If you can find them where you live (here in the US they can sometimes be found at H-Mart or other Asian supermarkets) or can buy them online, I cannot recommend them enough. Especially the Laksa one, which is easily one of my favorites.
Also just because microwaves were brought up a lot here, PLEASE DO NOT microwave just any cup or bowl instant noodles if it doesn't explicitly say it's microwave safe. The majority of Japanese cup/bowl noodles in particular are not microwaveable and can only be prepared safely using the boiling water method.
Absolutely love cup noodles and top ramen! If you're looking to bump up your ramen game try draining and then pan frying the ramen. Add a fried egg or two and you've got an amazing meal! Also, try Indomie noodles!
This channel is a gift to humanity
my favorite flavors of Cup are: Cheese Curry, Chili Tomato, Seafood, and all of their seasonal flavors. Thanks for uploading!
Thank you for the callout to "Cup O' Noodles", I swear I had been going crazy when other people called them "cup noodles" and I had no idea where I came up with the "of"
Already conquered the earth, on his last years of life, Momofuku send his product to space. You can't top that success story!
It's wild to think that a police standoff is what made cup ramen more acceptable. Imagine if during the moon landings, every shot of a desk at NASA had a Red Bull in front of one of the engineers, and that's why it's seen as an american staple.
I like the packaged noodles, not so much the instant cup ones. I actually wrote the Nissin company because when I was younger they had a garden vegetable flavor of ramen noodles that I adored but it went away. I was hoping to bring it back but unfortunately not 😔
We had Golden Wonder Pot Noodles here in the UK, but then at some point they just became Pot Noodles. My favourite flavour was beef and tomato, but over the years I went off them as they lost their taste. I only had my first real Cup Noodle the other day, it was the Katsu Curry flavour and it was real nice.
pot noodles are a total british icon but I'm honestly not too keen on them, all the flavours are just kinda weird. The proper nissin cup noodles are really nice, I think they're just less afraid to use shedloads of MSG than the UK brands...
The nissin cup noodles are nice and I'll be getting them from now on, as pot noodles are just not the same anymore. Just like Dave Lister in Red Dwarf I'd rather eat the dog meat than the pot noodle lol 😂
Yeah they've definitely become far more bland in recent years. Also it's really weird that the Pot Noodle noodles are entirely different in texture/shape to any other kind of instant noodle
In 74-75 here in the UK the crisp (chip) and bagged nut company simply known as KP released a product called KP Oodels, a play on the term to have oodles (a lot) of something!! They were in a foil topped polystyrene cup and were available in three varietys being beef, chicken and sweet & sour, I think, with a curry flavour being added soon after!! They were immensely popular leading to the UK company Batchelors following on with their Snackpot!! The rest obviously is history but few here remember them and they're not easy to fully research!! The UK was never in the lead on much but I think may have been one of the first european countries to embrace cup ramen!! Adore your channel, thanks loads for all the super content!!!💚!
I've never been a fan of ramen noodles, but I love learning the history.
You know what would make a good sequel for this? A video on Mac ‘n Cheese Cups
OMG, you do great videos! I never cared or tried Cup Noodles. Always thought it was Cup of Noodles. Now I want to try some. The ramen however, I am a professional.
Ah, so that's why we always see Inspector Zenigata eating a cup of noodles! lol
It’s ironic that the cup noodles specifically state to *not* microwave it, yet all of us ignore it
I usually boil water and then pour it into the cup noodles.
We're all rebels 😂😂
I LOVE the snarky comments the narrator comes up with😂.plus interesting video -thanks!
Fun and interesting videos, I'm in! 😊👍
excellent info
How funny your video today is about ramen. Soon I'll be at my winter home and, the first place I've been planning on eating at is Nishikawa Ramen in Chandler, AZ. They make their noodles themselves and it's fantastic. Our thoughts really do travel through the unseen. 😉😁👁🍜😋
We do have a plethora of good ramen options here in The Valley.
I have never even considered microwaving a noodle cup.
What? It's literally on the instructions on the side.
@@ImGazu Not on anyone I've seen.
I like the Maruchan Yakisoba, especially the cheese and the spicy chicken flavors. I also really like the Tapatio brand.
I've been eyeballing the cheese flavor for ages, but didn't want to buy a pack only to discover they tasted horrible. Maybe I'll actually try them next month.
@@EndlessSurprisesSD The good thing about the cheese Yakisoba is that it's like Kraft Mac N Cheese. You can always doctor it with more cheese or hot sauce or sliced hot dogs, whatever.
2:44 I always talk about how fantastic the images on this channel are...but even so there is something especially great about image of the workshed here.
It's instantly iconic.
You can visit a re-creation of this shed in Osaka, at the Ramen museum! And pay homage to its creator.
Thanks for this! 🍜 #WeirdHistoryFood #CupNoodle #InstantRamen
I dont care if it's bad for me, it's still good
Thank you
History of different countries rations during the war would be really interesting!
Yes! Cup O Noodles! I'm not crazy 🤪
The irony of a stand-off with commies leading to one of the most successful capitalistic endeavors is pure poetry.
Yeah talk about cruel irony
Indeed it is
It’s worth mentioning that the Cup Noodles billboard in Times Square also released steam like it was hot.
It saved my university budget, but it destroyed my kidneys.
Was always a maruchan fan of the cheap noodle sensations myself, but its nice to learn about cup noodles! Thanks for the video.
idk why and how, but i started to love watching these videos every 1AM
The Japanese have perfected the food vending machine. We had an amazing plaza with 22 machines offering all sorts of dishes across from our hotel in Tokyo.
I love the Weird History narrator!
I have a matchbox style cup noodle car, a beloved souvenir (it is shaped like a cup noodle cup) and that museum is awesome... make your own combo, decorate the cup yourself, it is right up there with the Frietmuseum (fries museum) in Bruges & the Currywurst museum in Berlin.
The weird thing about ramen to me is the new ramen bars which charge like $20-$30 for ramen! It was like 19 cents for ramen in college!
ramen bars are far from new... but authentic ramen is much better than instant ramen; and if you are paying $20+ for a bowl then you are paying too much and are likely just paying for the "restaurant experience" same as any other restaurant food
Those are 2 very different foods. It's like comparing Kool aid with a fruit smoothie, sure there's similarities but 1 is flavored water with carbs and the other is real food.
I'm confused by what you're describing because by ramen bars it sounds like you mean real ramen that is an actual meal dish. So of course you would pay it like it's real food. It may be new to your area because ramen the "dish" is becoming more popular.
Cup ramen is just a cup of preserved noodles with fake ingredient bits. And it's just a few full mouthfulls.
It's like comparing school lunch pizza to like an actual new york pizza restaurant.
The video is confusing because it will show both real ramen and instant ramen but real ramen is not just instant ramen in a bowl.
there is a lot of work in preparing a bowl of ramen- especially the pork meat, broth, noodle making-I took a cooking class on it and would know. Instant ramen is not the same as proper ramen bowls
Capitalistic elements in some countries allow prices to drop when the state doesn't interfere.
not gonna lie noodles maybe not exactly saved my life when i struggled but they 100% helped
Grew up on Kung Fu instant noodles through the 80s. In my mid 40s now and instant noodles is still a staple of my diet. Hehe. Keep on rockin'! 🤟
I would love to hear more about Marie Callendar's
YEAAAASH. You don't know how long i was waiting you make video of Ando-san. Good pronounciation too! Unlike Great big story video.
I haven't tried ramen noodles at all yet, but I am curious. Yes, I know it's unhealthy, but eating it every once in a while instead of all the time helps. Suggestions for future Weird History Food videos: M&Ms [especially how Will Vinton changed the M&Ms characters from bland to funny], Jack In The Box [please talk about the 1970s period of the chain, especially the animated characters voiced by Paul Winchell], Burger Chef [Mcdonald's pretty much stole the Happy Meal from them], Howard Johnson's [one of the first chains to franchise], and Domino's Pizza [The Noid is a given, but I do hope other Domino's Pizza mascots get talked about. Like Donny Domino, the 90s mascot, as well as his girlfriend Dottie Domino, and the Ollie vs Domino's Pizza lawsuit that spawned from Donny].
Babe wakes up, Weird History Food posted new video
I sat down just now with my cup of Hot and Spicy Firewok noodles and this is the first video to pop up. What perfect timing.
I love this narrator
That crazy Momofuku!
Thank god it’s the dude! 👍
Cup Noodles and Top Ramen is a staple of college cuisine.
I haven’t had Ramen in effing FOREVER!!! I’d kill for some noddle soup! 🍜🤤
Nissin is my favorite. I make homemade Ramen with noodles from a grocery shop that had a good international food section. Sometimes though cup of noodles is just perfect
Cup noodles was the epitome of a weekend lunch for me growing up
Omg momo looked fly af as an old man.
Im 35 years old and have never seen a packet of "cup noodles" brand.
Here in the UK we have "pot noodle" which is similar.
Recently though, I have seen many more different brands and styles in UK supermarkets.
Im not sure if any of them are made by the "cup noodle" brand but sold with different names/packaging.
Not the same company but definitely similar concept. Cup noodles also typically lack the packets of sauce your Pot Noodles look like they come with, it's just the broth powder inside that provides the flavoring
Best narrator, instant (noodle) upvote!!!
Can you do one on Club House Spices? over 130 years, that HAS to be interesting
Space noodles. The man made it big indeed
Ramen has saved us all at one point or another. Still eat it.
It wasn't until 7:38 that I was relieved to know I had not been calling it by the wrong name my whole life....whew😅
Still love the occasional ramen and ramyun. I prefer Top Ramen over maruchan in the states, the noodles are better to me, more bite, more al dente! Nissin Demae black garlic oil tonkotsu is my favorite 😊 as well as Shin ramyun black and green flavors. Not a huge spicy hot person because of my gut, but I add a combination of mild kimchi, egg, scallions, mushrooms, cheese, kewpie mayo, bok choy, not necessarily all at once, but the choices are limitless! Sooooo good.
I love there iinstant lunch ramen brand. It was a staple late night meal during my Highschool years.
Growing up as a British Born Chinese, Cup Noodles were our go-to instant noodles - be it bought from our nearest Chinese/Asian supermarket or from a local 7-Eleven when visiting our native Hong Kong.
I always found it strange that Cup Noodles never really took off in the UK like they did in other parts of the world. Yes, you can buy them in the Asian food section of supermarkets now, but they're still nowhere near as widespread as the much inferior Pot Noodles or even the dreadful Super Noodles.
It's seen as an empty meal, deep fried anything is even seen as healthier in terms of at least it's actual food, battered and fried.
My favorite Ramen noodles is the shrimp flavor. Sometimes, I would take some boiled shrimp, cut them up and put into the noodles.
I was there for the 2005/2006 new years to the the last display of cup noodles.
it had steam coming out, so cool
He's a goddamn hero, I bought alot of his Ramen even to this day, pretty easy to cook
nice i Like the chesese noodles they are my favrite but i cant find them much