Wednesday, February 13, 2019

When was instant noodle introduced to the United States?

The instant noodle originated in 1958 in Japan. Ando Momofuku’s inspiration behind the cupped version of instant ramen was his desire to export instant noodles to the United States and Europe.

In 1970 Nissin formed a US subsidiary to sell instant noodles to the Americans, which began importing bagged ramen from Japan and sold it in the United States under the brand name Top Ramen.

The company began producing “Cup o’ Noodles” in California at the same year and gained acceptance of ramen noodles as a snack/light meal among American consumers. In 1972, Nissin Foods introduced "Nissin Cup Noodles" in a foam food cup, which led to an upsurge in popularity.


Maruchan, the best selling ramen noodle bran in the United States, started out as a frozen fish distributer in Japan. In 1972, the Maruchan division of Toyo Suisan Kaisha opened its first instant ramen production facility in the United States: by 1997 it had three factories.
When was instant noodle introduced to the United States?

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