Ramen 🍜
Is it really Japanese?
When Japan surrendered in the Second World War, the country was in a
state of ruin. Bombers from the United States had either destroyed or
damaged over two million buildings, causing hordes of hungry Japanese
citizens to be increasingly reliant on black markets for food. Within
these sprawling urban black markets, ramen emerged as a critical part of
Japanese cuisine.
Ramen was first introduced to Japan by
Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century, according to Japan Quarterly, and originally
consisted of noodles in broth topped with Chinese-style roast pork. In
December 1945, Japan recorded its worst rice harvest in 42 years.
Combined with the loss of agriculture from its wartime colonies in China
and Taiwan, it drastically reduced rice production—which is
how a bowl of wheat noodles gained prominence in Japan’s rice-based
culture.
Following Japan’s defeat in the war, the American military occupied the
country from 1945 to 1952. Faced with this food shortage, the Americans
started to import massive amounts of wheat into Japan. From 1948 to
1951, bread consumption in Japan increased from 262,121 tons to 611,784
tons. But wheat also found its way into ramen, which most Japanese ate
at black market food vendors. Black markets had existed in Japan
throughout the war. However, they became increasingly essential during
the government food distribution system running about 20 days behind
schedule, many people depended on black markets for survival.