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Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles at 48, after losing nearly everything when a credit union he chaired collapsed in 1957. After months of experiments in a shed behind his house near Osaka, he launched Chicken Ramen in 1958; Cup Noodles followed in 1971, when he was 61.

Osaka, 1958

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The story behind the card

By Ando's own account, the idea came from watching tempura being fried: flash-frying cooked, seasoned noodles in hot oil drove out the moisture and left tiny holes, so boiling water could soften them again in minutes. Chicken Ramen went on sale on 25 August 1958. Cup Noodles, sold in a waterproof polystyrene cup, followed in 1971 and helped take instant noodles around the world. In a 2000 Japanese poll, instant noodles were voted the country's greatest invention of the twentieth century. The early part of the story comes mainly from Ando and his company, Nissin.

Türkçe oku
Momofuku Ando hazır erişteyi 48 yaşında, başkanı olduğu kredi kooperatifi 1957'de batıp neredeyse her şeyini kaybettikten sonra icat etti. Osaka yakınlarındaki evinin arkasında bir kulübede aylarca deney yaptı ve 1958'de Chicken Ramen'i piyasaya sürdü. 1971'de, 61 yaşındayken Cup Noodles geldi.
Osaka, 1958

Ando'nun anlattığına göre fikir, tempura kızartılışını izlerken aklına geldi: önceden haşlanıp tatlandırılmış erişte kızgın yağda kısa süre kızartılınca içindeki su çıkıyor, geride minicik gözenekler kalıyordu. Kaynar su bu gözeneklere dolunca erişte birkaç dakikada yeniden yumuşuyordu. Chicken Ramen 25 Ağustos 1958'de satışa çıktı. 1971'de strafor bir bardakta satılan Cup Noodles geldi ve hazır erişteyi bütün dünyaya yaydı. 2000'de Japonya'da yapılan bir ankette hazır erişte, ülkenin yirminci yüzyıldaki en büyük icadı seçildi. Hikâyenin ilk yılları ise daha çok Ando'nun ve şirketi Nissin'in kendi anlatımına dayanıyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Momofuku Ando
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