Japan’s Nissin Foods just opened a cup noodle museum charting the history of the instant snack which from Japan’s shores branched out to be one or the world’s most popular snacks. Reportedly last year the humble cup noodle was scoffed, slurped and swallowed 95 billion times around the globe, according to the Japanese instant noodles manufacturers association.
At the museum kids are encouraged to create their own noodles, design their own cups and assemble their own toppings – apparently there are 5,000 combinations. Visitors can see how cup designs have evolved over the decades and pay tribute to Momofuku Ando, the founder of this dish.
Momofuku Ando, the man credited with inventing instant noodles, entered the food business when Japan was hungry after World War II and invented the world’s first instant noodles – chicken ramen noodles sold in bags – in 1958. Momofuku launched the cupped version in 1971 with a pre-cooked slab of noodles in a waterproof styrofoam container. Momofuku said he was inspired to develop the product when he saw a long line of people waiting to buy soup noodles at a black market stall in post-war Japan.
“Peace prevails when food suffices,” he was quoted as saying.
food insider 