Momofuku Ando Invents Instant Ramen

On 25 August 1958, the Japanese food enterprise Nissin launched Chikin Ramen, introducing modern instant noodles to the commercial market. Developed by Nissin founder Momofuku Ando, the product featured a precooked, dried block of seasoned noodles that could be fully rehydrated and ready to eat within two minutes simply by adding boiling water. Although dried noodles that were boiled and subsequently fried had existed centuries earlier in China, Ando synthesized a complete industrial process spanning noodle production, steaming, seasoning, and preservation that allowed rapid culinary preparation on demand.

Central to Ando's method was the flash-frying of steamed noodles in hot oil. This technique drove out moisture, creating a porous internal matrix that could rapidly absorb boiling water later while significantly extending shelf life beyond that of frozen alternatives. Ando's system built on earlier technical innovations, notably Yoshio Murata's 1953 invention of a mechanism to curve noodles into wavy strands. Murata's wavy configuration allowed pasta to be shaped dozens of times faster, decreased breakage during handling, prevented clumping in boiling liquid, and maximized the volume of food that could be packed into a compact wrapper.