VOL.198 NOVEMBER 2024
JAPANESE RAMEN AND ITS GLOBAL EXPANSION
“Onomichi Ramen” Full of the Flavors of Seafood from The Seto Inland Sea
Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is a warm climate port town facing the Seto Inland Sea. It is located about 80 kilometers east of Hiroshima City, where the G7 summit meeting was held in May 2023. Onomichi Ramen is a signature dish that represents the city of Onomichi.
Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, has many specialty products that thrive in the warm climate, such as hassaku citrus fruits and locally grown lemons. Onomichi Ramen is a local specialty ramen that was developed in this port town that was once known for its bustling shipbuilding industry. According to TAKATSUKI Yuriko of the Onomichi Tourism Association, ramen has a 90-year history here.
“In the 1930s, when ramen was just beginning to spread throughout Japan, Onomichi ramen featured a cloudy white broth made from beef and pork stock. Onomichi was a shipbuilding town, and before and during the Second World War, people from China also worked in the shipbuilding industry. After the war, as the shipbuilding industry declined, portable Chinese noodle stalls began to appear, including Shukaen, which was established around 1947 and later became a forerunner of today’s Onomichi Ramen. The owner, Zhu Ajun, created a unique Chinese noodle dish that combined a soy sauce-flavored broth with stir-fried pork back fat and homemade flat noodles, which became very popular. It is said that this flavor spread to other restaurants in Onomichi, eventually becoming known as Onomichi Ramen.”
Photo: Onomichi Tourism Association
In the 1990s, a delicacy manufacturer released souvenir Onomichi Ramen, which became a hit, selling 2 million servings in one year. This led to the Onomichi Ramen name becoming well-known throughout the country.
Onomichi Ramen today is characterized by a seafood broth with a generous amount of pork back fat. The noodles are typically medium-thin and flat. Toppings include classic Japanese ramen ingredients like green onions, chashu pork*, and bamboo shoots**.
In recent years, many restaurants have put special effort into the seafood used for the broth.
Photo: Onomichi Noodle Ichibankan
“The Seto Inland Sea is known for its shallow water, allowing sunlight to reach a broad area of the seafloor. This environment fosters an abundance of phytoplankton, which in turn supports zooplankton and small fish. Many restaurants use small sea bream and other small fish in their soup stock as a secret ingredient.
There is also a unique restaurant that originally sold Onomichi Ramen exclusively through mail order. The delicious taste became so popular that it actually opened its own specialty restaurant.
And many of the restaurants are loved by the locals. The more popular a restaurant is, the more regular customers come to them”
Photo: Onomichi Ramen Maruboshi
Onomichi Ramen has a rich soy sauce flavor and a mellow seafood taste. The nostalgic flavor makes you want to keep sipping the broth.
The broth and noodle styles vary for Onomichi Ramen depending on the restaurant's individuality. Since the portions are smaller than other regional ramen, you can try to compare multiple bowls from different restaurants.
* Refers to seasoned pork dishes. In Japanese ramen, it commonly refers to pork that is grilled and braised.
** A processed food made by lactic acid fermentation of bamboo shoots, also known as Sinachiku.
By MOROHASHI Kumiko
Photo: Onomichi Tourism Association; Onomichi Noodle Ichibankan; Onomichi Ramen Maruboshi; PIXTA
