- [Narrator] 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 invented them was much more ambitious.
He set out to solve a hunger crisis in Japan.
After World War II, food shortages plagued Japanese cities,
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, something that was already part
of their culture.
Ando decided to take matters into his own hands
and create a new ramen made to last.
He spent a year trying to figure out how
to preserve the noodles.
He needed a nonperishable, tasty, and easy recipe,
but it was a challenge to maintain the robust flavors
and unique texture that most people were accustomed to.
It wasn't until his wife was making dinner one night
and he threw some noodles in a bowl of hot tempura oil
that he realized flash frying the noodles
was the answer he had been looking for.
This method not only dehydrated them,
it left small perforations that allowed the noodles
to recook quickly.
And there you have it, instant ramen noodles
became an instant success.
Ando's products gained notoriety
when he introduced the packaged ramen in the 1950s
and later Cup Noodles in 1978.
His company began selling upwards
of 40 billion units every year,
and Momofuku Ando became a culinary icon in Japan.
So, the next time you heat up a cup of instant noodles,
remember, you're slurping down a little piece of history.
(lively instrumental music)