By: Kai Wang

Some people associate instant noodles with broke college students, but instant ramen wasn’t created for a bunch of hungry 20-year-olds. The man who made these noodles was much more ambitious; he set out to solve a hunger crisis in Japan.

After World War II, food shortages plagued Japanese cities and the rice shortage at the time didn’t help either. So, the U.S. supplied wheat flour and encouraged the Japanese to make bread. One man named Momofuku Ando didn’t understand why his people would make bread instead of noodles, which were was already part of their culture.

Ando decided to put matters into his own hands and make a ramen that lasted. “Inspiration leads to invention. Tenacity is the breeding ground for inspiration. There can be no invention in the absence of tenacity,”-MomoFuku And He spent a year trying to figure out how to preserve the noodles. He needed a non-perishable, tasty, and easy recipe, but it was a challenge to maintain the robust flavor and unique texture most people were accustomed to.

It wasn’t until his wife was making dinner one night, and he threw some noodles into a pot of hot tempura oil, that he realized flash frying the noodles was the key. This method not only dehydrated the noodles but also left small holes that allowed the noodles to recook quickly.

Instant ramen noodles became an instant success. Ando’s products got noticed when he introduced packaged ramen in the 1950s and later cup noodles in 1978. Momofuku Ando became a culinary icon in Japan.