Produced by Nissin | Introduced 1958 | |
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Comparing ramen cup noodles around the world life after college ep 508
Cup Noodles (カップヌードル, Kappu Nūdoru) is a brand of instant ramen noodle snack manufactured by Nissin, packaged in a foam food container, hard plastic or paper cup. Other brand names are used in specific countries, such as the singular Cup Noodle in Japan, and the product has inspired numerous competitors, such as Maruchan's Instant Lunch.
Contents
- Comparing ramen cup noodles around the world life after college ep 508
- Cup noodles and an egg
- History
- 1970s
- 1990s
- Today
- In popular culture
- Flavours
- References
Cup noodles and an egg
History
Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese food company Nissin. He used Chicken Ramen as the first instant ramen noodles.
1970s
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 designed by Ron R. Matteson. In 1971, they introduced instant ramen packaged in a foam cup. In 1978, Nissin Foods offers new varieties of Top Ramen and Cup O' Noodles. The product was known as Cup O' Noodles in the United States until 1993.
1990s
In 1998, Cup Noodles Hot Sauce Varieties introduced (Beef, Chicken, Pork and Shrimp).
Today
Today, instant noodles in Japan are often sold in foam bowls, sometimes with plastic utensils. Foam bowls are inexpensive, disposable, light, and easy to hold, since they insulate heat well.
Different flavors are available in other parts of the world, such as tom yum in Thailand, curry in Japan, crab in Hong Kong, and Churrascaria in Brazil.
In 2016 the US version was changed, reducing sodium and removing MSG and artificial flavors.
In popular culture
From 1996 to 2006, a 60-foot (18 m) Nissin Cup Noodle sign was installed in Times Square, New York City. It was located prominently near the top of the One Times Square building, the location of the Times Square Ball 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 8 O'Clock Coffee cup in 1933.
Cup noodles are often seen in the 2012 video game Binary Domain, which is set in a futuristic version of Tokyo. It is commonly seen in billboards and advertisements throughout the city, and is even seen being eaten by some characters.
Cup Noodles were prominently featured as product placement in the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV. This partnership also resulted in a crossover TV ad in Japan.