Counter culture

Japan is famous for putting its spin on imported dishes, but delve into the history of its signature 'local' dishes and you'll find they too have foreign roots, writes LEE TRAN LAM.

- LEE TRAN LAM

RAMEN

Embedded deeply into Japan’s culinary landscape, you could map the country according to regional styles of ramen: Sapporo is known for miso ramen flavoured with corn and butter, bowls in Kumamoto are rippled with black garlic oil, while soy milk lightens noodle broths in Kyoto. In fact, the dish originates from China, the word “ramen” likely stemming from la mian, which translates as “pulled noodles” in Chinese. It’s also been called shina soba now considered a derogatory Japanese description for “Chinese noodles” - and if you glance at shop signs, you'll notice “ramen” is often spelt in katakana, the Japanese alphabet usually reserved for foreign words.

Chinese workers in Yokohoma probably introduced la mian to Japanese diners in the 1880s, before it began its evolution into a noodle-and-broth template that’s been creatively remixed with different toppings and soup styles across the country. The rise of ramen was also turbocharged by surplus American shipments of wheat after World War II, and during the country’s post-war reconstruction period, “ramen took off as an indispensable ‘stamina food,’” writes Anya von Bremzen in her book, National Dish. Ramen has since become a tourism drawcard: you can venture to Kitakata, the city that boasts the most ramen shops in Japan per capita, or Yokohoma’s museum dedicated to this noodle dish. And ramen isn’t merely something you eat, it’s a lifestyle. The classic salaryman dream of quitting your office job to open a noodle shop is so widespread, there's even a manga series about it, called Ramen Hakkenden.

TEMPURA