Ramen (ラーメン)

Ramen (ラーメン) is a Japanese noodle soup dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork (チャーシュー), dried seaweed (海苔), kamaboko, and green onions. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

The origin of ramen is unclear. Some sources say it is of Chinese origin. Other sources say it was invented in Japan in the early 20th century. According to ramen expert Hiroshi Osaki, ramen in Japan is said to have come from China in 1872, while the first specialized ramen shop opened in Yokohama in 1910. The name ramen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese lamian (拉麺).

A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Ramen can be broadly categorized by its two main ingredients: noodles and broth.

Photos:

"Soy ramen" by Original uploader was Lusheeta at Japanese Wikipedia - ja:利用者:Lusheeta. Licensed under GFDL via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soy_ramen.jpg#/media/File:Soy_ramen.jpg

"Tsukemen". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsukemen.jpg#/media/File:Tsukemen.jpg

"Tokyoramen" by ja:User:Hykw-a4 - 投稿者が撮影. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyoramen.jpg#/media/File:Tokyoramen.jpg