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Ramen

This dish of noodles in soup is originally from China and is still often called chuuka soba (“Chinese noodles”) in many restaurants.The Japanese have made it completely their own however and now it’s something of a fast food institution.

The typical ramen shop will have a large pot of meat bones and vegetables constantly bubbling away to supply the stock for hundreds of bowls of steaming soup everyday.To this might be added miso (fermented bean paste), soy or simply salt for flavour.Noodles are boiled separately and added to the soup along with toppings such as bean sprouts, green onions and slices of roast pork.

Different regions of Japan are known for their particular style of ramen.Kyushu, and particularly Hakata is famous for tonkotsu (pork soup) ramen, Hokkaido for miso ramen served with a butter and sweetcorn.

Individual ramen shops all have their own particular flavour and style and chefs can be quite secretive about what makes their soup so special.Everyone has their favourite ramen shop and a local’s recommendation is worth getting.Otherwise, look out for crowds, as a queue waiting to be seated is a sure sign of quality.