Cup Noodles is a brand of instant ramen

Ramen

is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...

 noodle snack manufactured by Nissin, packaged in a polyethylene

Polyethylene

Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...

 foam, hard plastic or paper cup. The product is known for being inexpensive and easy to prepare. Other brand names are used in specific countries, such as Cup Noodle in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

History

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando

Momofuku Ando

, ORS, was a Taiwanese-Japanese businessman who founded Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. He is famed as the inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles.- Early life :...

, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese food

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...

 company Nissin. He used Chikin Ramen (Chicken Ramen) as the first instant ramen noodles. In 1970, Nissin formed the subsidiary Nissin Foods (USA) Co. Inc, to sell instant noodles in the United States. Nissin recognized that the bowls traditionally used to package instant noodles in Asia were not common in the U.S, so they used the paper cup; in 1971, they introduced instant ramen packaged in a foam cup. Originally, the product was known as Cup O' Noodles in the United States; this was changed in 1993 to its current name.

Today, instant noodles in Japan are often sold in foam bowls, sometimes with plastic utensils. Foam bowls are easily portable; they are convenient for outdoor activities. Foam bowls are inexpensive, disposable, light, and easy to hold, since they insulate heat well and are convenient as an "on-the-go" meal.

Cooking

A container of Cup Noodles includes a precooked (fried) block of noodles that requires only the addition of hot water and in some cases flavoring that is included in small packets. Cooking time is around three minutes.

Flavors

In the U.S., there are 20 flavors of cup noodles; common ones include shrimp, chicken, and beef. Additions include spicy picante flavors and spicy cheese variants.

Different flavors are available in other parts of the world, such as tom yum

Tom yum

Tom yum or tom yam is the name for a spicy clear soup typical in Laos and Thailand. Tom yum is widely served in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and has been popularized around the world...

 in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, curry

Curry

Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...

 in Japan, crab in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, Bolognese sauce

Bolognese sauce

Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. It is traditionally used to dress tagliatelle and is one of the two sauces used to prepare "lasagne alla Bolognese"...

 in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, and so on.

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

Cup Noodles

• Galinha Caipira (chicken)
• Bacon
• Camarão (shrimp)
• Carne (beef)
• Legumes (vegetables)
• Tomate à Italiana (Italian tomato)
• Frango com Requeijão (chicken & cream cheese)
• 4 Queijos (four cheeses)
• Calabresa (smoked sausage)
• Bolonhesa (bolognese sauce
  Bolognese sauce
  Bolognese sauce is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. It is traditionally used to dress tagliatelle and is one of the two sauces used to prepare "lasagne alla Bolognese"...
  
  )
• Costela com Molho de Churrasco (Ribs with Barbecue Sauce)
• Frango com molho de legumes (Chicken with vegetable sauce)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

(Hàhpmèihdòuh); Assorted Pork; Chicken; Crab; Chicken Mushroom; Beef; Spicy Seafood; Seafood; Seafood Curry; Tomato; Spicy Beef; Shrimp; XO sauce

XO sauce

XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce used in Chinese cuisines especially in southern China such as Guangdong province and Hong Kong.-History:Developed in the 1980s in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine, it is made of roughly chopped dried seafoods including scallops, dried fish and shrimp and cooked with...

 Seafood

China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

(Héwèidào / Hàhpmèihdòuh, Guangdong

Guangdong

Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

); Beef; Seafood; Tomato; Char siu

Char siu

Char siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei, Cantonese roasted meat...

 Pork; Shrimp Original; Spicy Seafood

(Kāibēilè, Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

); Beef; Seafood; Spicy Beef; Beef Curry; Shrimp Original; Char siu

Char siu

Char siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei, Cantonese roasted meat...

 Pork; Beef Curry

Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

Cup Nudeln

• Huhn; Chicken
• Rind; Beef
• Garnele; Shrimp
• Huhn & Champignons; Chicken & Mushroom
• Huhn & Curry; Chicken & Curry
• Tomate; Tomato
• Brokkoli; Broccoli
• Süss-Sauer; Sweet-Sour
• Tom Yum; Thai-Style
• Spicy; Hot/Spicy
• Kartoffelbrei; Mashed Potato;

India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

Cup Noodles

• Spicy Vegetable
• Tangy Chicken
• Mast Masala
  Garam masala
  Garam masala is a blend of ground spices common in North Indian and other South Asian cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The word garam refers to intensity of the spices rather than capsaicin content...
  
  
• Paanipuri
• Tangy Tomato
• Manchurian

Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

Cup Noodles

• Rasa Ayam; Chicken
• Rasa Udang; Shrimp
• Rasa Daging Sapi; Beef
• Mie Goreng, Fried Noodles

Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

• Plain (Soy sauce with pork & shrimp)
• Seafood
• Curry
• Chilli Tomato
• Kimchi
  Kimchi
  Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
  
  
• Salt
• Miso
  Miso
  is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus , the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso...
  
  
• Creamy Chicken
• Cream Sauce
• Brazilian Chicken
• Fried Rice
  Fried rice
  Fried rice is a popular component of Asian cuisine, especially Chinese food. It is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, and meat. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets...
  
  

In The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is a museum dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, and Taiwanese-Japanese inventor and businessman Momofuku Ando who created them. The museum is located in Ikeda in Osaka, and is located within walking distance of Ikeda Station on the Hankyu-Takarazuka...

, Ikeda

Ikeda, Osaka

is a city located in Osaka, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 104,704 and a density of 4,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.09 km²....

, Osaka

Osaka Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

, a visitor can mix his own flavor by choosing ingredients and a soup.
Nissin has a similar exhibit at the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum in Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

.

Malaysia & Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

Nissin Cup Noodles or Myojo Cup Noodles

• Chicken
• Chicken Abalone(available only in bowl)
• Chicken Curry
• Laksa (available only in cup)
• Mee Soto Ayam (available only in bowl)
• Seafood
• Thai Tom Yam
• Lor Mee (available only in bowl)
• Seafood
• Spicy Seafood
• Chicken Mushroom
• Chilli Crab

Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

Cup Noodles

• Chicken
• Tapatio
• Beef
• Crab
• Pork
• Shrimp
• Shrimp & Lemon
• Shrimp Picante
• Tlalpeño (caldo tlalpeño); Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Mariscos; Seafood
• Tomato
• Hot Sauce Chicken
• Hot Sauce Shrimp
• Hot Sauce Beef
• "Japanese noodles"; ramen

Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

Cup Noodles

• Beef
• Seafood
• Chicken
• Spicy Seafood
• Batchoy
  Batchoy
  Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, shrimp, vegetables, chicken stock, chicken breast, beef loin and round noodles. Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, hence it is oftentimes referred to as La Paz...
  
  ; Pork Soup
• Bulalo; Beef Marrow
• Sotanghon - Chicken
• Sotanghon - Seafood

South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

Cup Noodle (컵라면|Kupramyeon)

• Spicy
• Seafood
• Mild
• Vegetable
• Kimchi (김치)
• Jajangmyeon (자장면)
  Jajangmyeon
  Jajangmyeon is a popular Korean dish, derived from the Chinese dish zha jiang mian. It consists of wheat noodles topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang , diced meat and vegetables, and sometimes also seafood...
  
  
• Cheese
• Spaghetti
• Rabokki (라볶이)
  Tteokbokki
  Tteokbokki, also known as Ddeokbokki is a popular Korean snack food which is commonly purchased from street vendors or Pojangmacha. Originally it was called tteok jjim , and was a braised dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. Tteok jjim an early variant of modern tteokbokki, was...
  
  
• Udon (우동)
  Udon
  is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...
  
  

Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

(Kap Nutdoen, Cup Noodles)

• Tom Yam
  Tom yum
  Tom yum or tom yam is the name for a spicy clear soup typical in Laos and Thailand. Tom yum is widely served in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and has been popularized around the world...
  
   Goong; Prawn Soup
• Minced pork
• Seafood
• Spicy duck
• Garlic Pork Chicken
• Tom Yam Minced Pork
• Mushroom Jey; Mushroom & Vegetable
• Tom Yam Chicken
• Tom Yam Jey; Vegetable Soup
• Tom Yam Goong Creamy

Cup Noodles (for export)

• Prawn
• Chicken
• Mushroom Chicken
• Seafood
• Spicy Seafood
• Tom Yam Seafood
• Curry Seafood
• Chilli Crab
• Tom Yam Veg
• Laksa
• Sour Chicken

United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Cup Noodles

• Beef
• Chicken
• Shrimp
• Chicken Vegetable
• Creamy Chicken
• Hearty Chicken
• Shrimp Picante Style
• Spicy Chile Chicken
• Salsa Picante Chicken
• Salsa Picante Shrimp

Popular culture

• From 1996 to 2006, a 60-foot (18 m) Nissin Cup Noodle sign was installed in Times Square
  Times Square
  Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
  
  , New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  . It was located prominently near the top of the One Times Square
  One Times Square
  One Times Square is a 25 story, 395 foot high skyscraper at 42nd Street and Broadway in Times Square....
  
   building, the location of the Times Square Ball
  Times Square Ball
  The Times Square Ball is a time ball dropped each year during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. The ball is made by Waterford Crystal and electric lights is raised to the top of a pole on the One Times Square building at 6:00 pm and then lowered to mark the...
  
   drop on New Year's Eve. The sign was the most recent example in a tradition of steaming signs in Times Square, which started with an A&P
  The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company
  The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A&P's liquor stores, known as...
  
   8 O'Clock Coffee
  Eight O'Clock Coffee
  Eight O'Clock Coffee is the brand name of the light roast of coffee introduced by the American supermarket chain A&P in 1859. In 1919, the roast was renamed and given its current trademark. According to legend, the company came up with the name by conducting a survey asking people what time of day...
  
  cup in 1933.

See also

• Sapporo Ichiban
  Sapporo Ichiban
  is a brand of instant noodles made by Sanyo Foods, and rivals to other Japanese ramen brands like Nissin and Maruchan.Sapporo Ichiban has found a market outside of Japan, most notably with consumers in Hong Kong, The United States, Mexico and Canada.Sapporo Ichiban literally means, "Sapporo's...
  
  ; producer of instant noodles.
• Maruchan
  Maruchan
  Maruchan Inc., also known as Maruchan , is a well-known American producer of ramen noodles and related products. Maruchan produces over 3.6 billion packages of Ramen Noodle Soup a year and now has three manufacturing plants, two in Irvine, California and one in Richmond, Virginia...
  
  ; producer of instant noodles.
• Frozen noodles
  Frozen noodles
  Frozen noodles and chilled noodles are types of instantly prepared Asian noodles that are sold frozen or chilled. These products differ from prepackaged dehydrated noodles in a number of ways, both in flavor, texture and in that they normally come pre-prepared with ingredients in addition to the...
  
  
• Pot Noodle
  Pot Noodle
  Pot Noodle is a brand of ramen-style instant noodle snack foods, available in a selection of flavours and varieties. Its dehydrated mixture consists of wide noodles, textured soya pieces, assorted dried vegetables and flavouring powder. The product is prepared by adding boiling water, which softens...
  
  
• Instant noodles
  Instant noodles
  Instant noodles are dried or precooked noodles and are often sold with packets of flavoring including seasoning oil. Dried noodles are usually eaten after being cooked or soaked in boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, while precooked noodles can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet...
  
  
• Noodles

External links

• Cup Noodles and Instant Noodles Market in Japan
• Cup Noodles official website (U.S)
• Cup Noodle official website
• Science Channel's The Making Series: #47 Making of Cup Noodles (video in Japanese
  Japanese language
  is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
  
  )