Legend has it that during the Qing dynasty, a chef accidentally boiled already-cooked egg noodles. To rescue them, he quickly scooped them out and fried them in hot oil, serving them as a soup. Early instant noodle packages were labeled as "Yi noodles."
Yoshio Murata invented a way to curve noodles into a wavy shape, paving the way for the mass production of instant noodles. This design allowed noodles to fit neatly into small packages, cook evenly, taste better, transport easily, and retain their elasticity.
Momofuku Ando invented modern instant noodles in Japan, first marketed on August 25th, 1958, by his company Nissin under the brand Chikin Ramen. He developed the entire production method of flash-frying noodles, creating “instant” noodles that can be prepared in a matter of minutes.
Chang Kuo-wen, a Pingtung local, filed a patent for instant noodles in 1956. On August 16th, 1961, Zhang supposedly transferred the patent to Momofuku Ando for ¥23 million.
In a Japanese poll, instant noodles were voted the best invention of the 20th century. "Instant noodles, representing 'Made in Japan', are now not only just a national food but a global food," the Fuji Research Institute said.
About 103 billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year. China consumes 40 billion packages of instant noodles per year, Indonesia consumes 12 billion, and India consumes 6 billion.
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