The Ultimate Guide to Ramen 🍜
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Ramen (ラーメン) is a very popular noodle soup dish in Japan, originally from China. They are so popular that you will find a ramen shop every few minutes of walking. Different regions in Japan have different types of ramen, allowing people to experience different variations of the ramen, depending on where they go!
Although ramen may appear to be simple, it is the soul food of Japan in which people have serious passion for. Anybody could make ramen, but it takes many years of experience and skills to achieve a great, consistent flavor. And one needs a lot of patience too, as the soup takes several hours, days, or even months to make.
Flavors
There are many different flavors of Ramen, but the variations can generally be categorized into four different major groups. They are Shio (塩), Shoyu (醤油), Miso (味噌), Tonkotsu (豚骨).
Shio (塩)
Shio, meaning salt, is a light, clear broth-based Ramen compared to others like Shoyu and Miso. Because of the light nature of the ramen, the characteristics of the ingredients stand out more. But light doesn't mean it doesn't have flavor. The ramen still has a firm taste with a lot of umami (旨味) taste.
Shoyu (醤油)
Shoyu, meaning soy sauce, is the most well-known type of ramen in Japan. The soy sauce is used as the base for the tare (タレ), which is the ramen's seasoning. But the soup stock can have a lot of variety, such as pork, chicken, and seafood, and they are different for every store and region. Because of this, even if one asks for Shoyu Ramen, the taste has an infinite variety.
Miso (味噌)
The miso's ramen soup is flavored mostly with soybean paste. This results in the soup being thick, brown, and rich. Although it is not as popular in Japan compared to Shoyu and Shio, it has recently become prominent, mostly due to Hokkaido Miso Ramen (北海道味噌ラーメン). Hokkaido is where the flavor originated, where they needed a ramen soup perfect for long, cold winters. This unique flavor is created by mixing pork, vegetables, and the soup in a wok and frying it at a high temperature. By doing this, lard floats to the surface of the soup, which enhances the rich flavor, and also works to keep the ramen from cooling quickly.
Tonkotsu (豚骨)
This flavor, made popular in Kyushu (九州), is made from boiling and dissolving pork bones into a thick, creamy, white broth. The taste and thickness can vary depending on the cooking time and the site of the pig used. A popular addition to the Tonkotsu Ramen is using garlic to further enrich the taste.
Etiquette
Japananese culture is very strict on respect and proper conduct. Because of this, there are several unspoken rules and etiquette that should be followed when eating such a dish like ramen.
One of the biggest differences between proper etiquette in the U.S. and Japan, is slurping. In the U.S., slurping may be rude, but in Japan, you'll notice that most, if not all, of the people will slurp when they eat ramen. By slurping, it helps to carry the noodles and the soup through your mouth, and also cools it down as well.
Another thing you may notice when eating ramen in Japan is that people often bring their food or bowl up to their mouths. They prefer to do this rather than bringing their head down and bending as it ruins their posture. Instead of using a spoon, or Renge (レンゲ), people will often finish the soup by bring the bowl up to their face.