Ramen :
This is a dish consisting of noodles immersed in a broth made from various meats and bones (pork, chicken, beef), fish, seafood or vegetables, deliciously seasoned with miso, soy sauce, soy must or even sake kasu (sake residue).
The essential elements of a delicious râmen include the soup, the noodles, the tare (a concentrated mixture that gives the bowl of râmen its main flavour and character; Common flavours include shoyu soy sauce, miso, the powerful tonkotsu made from concentrated pork bone broth, shio made from dried seafood such as fish, shellfish and seaweed) and garnish (such as eggs, chashu or marinated and roasted pork, menma or marinated bamboo shoots, nori, naruto = a kind of firm surimi).
Although ramen has Chinese origins, it first appeared in Japan in the 17th century. Today, they enjoy great popularity, with over 35,000 specialist restaurants across the archipelago. There is even a ramen museum near Shin-Yokohama station. Râmen are actually thin Chinese noodles, whose texture and presentation can vary from region to region.
Each prefecture boasts its own special recipe. For example, Kumamoto is famous for its pork and broth-based ramen, Kagoshima for its kurobuta (local black pork) and chicken ramen, and Tokyo for its shoyu ramen made with pork, chicken, vegetables and flakes of dried bonito katsuobushi.
