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A typical rāmen restaurant in rural Japan, 2006.
circumstances of each location and the taste preferences of the customers.
The culinary historian Kosuge Keiko suggests that the inclusion of Shina
soba in the menus of noodle shops that had originally specialized in indigenous
soba greatly contributed to its Japanization. The Japanese invasion of
Manchuria in 1931 also played a role in this respect, since many Chinese
cooks were propelled to leave Japan and the kitchens of Chinese restaurants
were instead populated by Japanese cooks. 24 However, two major factors
continued to differentiate the newcomer in the Japanese noodle arena: the
noodles and the broth.
The Chinese-style rāmen noodles of Japan are more elastic
and hence chewier than the traditional Japanese wheat noodles
(udon, sōmen, and kishimen). The difference results from the
Chinese technique of adding alkali to the salty water that is
used to knead the wheat dough. This also gives the noodles a
pale yellow hue and a particular aroma. . . . The dish consists
basically of noodles in a pork or chicken broth seasoned with
black pepper and topped with slices of pork and various other
items. 25
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