Tonkotsu ramen

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Tonkotsu ramen
Tonkotsu ramen.JPG
Tonkotsu ramen
Alternative namesHakata ramen
Type Noodle soup
Place of originJapan
Region or state Fukuoka
Created byTokio Miyamoto
Invented1937
Main ingredients
Variations Kagoshima ramen

Tonkotsu ramen (豚骨ラーメン) is a ramen dish that originated in Kurume, [1] [2] [3] Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is a specialty dish on the island of Kyushu.

Contents

The broth for tonkotsu ramen is based on pork bones, which is what the word tonkotsu (豚骨/とんこつ) means in Japanese. [4] [1] [5] It is prepared by boiling the bones in water for up to eighteen hours, at which point the soup becomes cloudy in appearance. [4] [1] [2] Additional broth ingredients can include onion, garlic, spring onions, ginger, pork back fat, pig's trotters, oil, and chicken carcass. [4] The dish is traditionally topped with chāshū (sliced pork belly), and additional ingredients can include kombu, kikurage, shōyu, chili bean paste, and sesame seeds. [4] [1]

The traditional preparation method for tonkotsu ramen is for the noodles to be hard in the center. [2] Some ramen shops allow customers to select the level of firmness, including futsu for regular or standard, harigane for very hard, barikata for al dente, and yawamen for soft. [2] Some restaurants also provide a second order of noodles if requested by the customer, in a system referred to as kaedama. [2]

History

A close-up view of tonkotsu ramen TonkotsuRamen.jpg
A close-up view of tonkotsu ramen
Ramen in pork bone broth Tonkotsu Ramen Special, Hakata Choten, Paris 001.jpg
Ramen in pork bone broth

Tonkotsu ramen was invented in 1937 by Tokio Miyamoto, a yatai food vendor, in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, in northern Kyushu. The dish was further refined to its milky appearance by Katsumi Sugino when he accidentally overcooked the broth. [3] In Fukuoka, the dish is often referred to as Hakata ramen (博多(はかた)ラーメン), with Hakata being the historical name of central Fukuoka. [1] It was originally prepared as an affordable and easily prepared fast food for laborers at fish markets. [2]

Noodle firmness

Some ramen restaurants in Fukuoka offer customers a choice of noodle firmness levels, which has become a recognizable feature of tonkotsu ramen culture. [6] [7]

Common firmness levels:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Heiter, C.; Press, T.A.; George, R. (2009). To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur. To Asia with Love. ThingsAsian Press. p. 34. ISBN   978-1-934159-05-7 . Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 From the Source – Japan. Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet Publications. 2016. pp. pt384–386. ISBN   978-1-76034-311-8 . Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The History of Tonkotsu Ramen in Kyushu". June 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Aye, M.M. (2014). Noodle!: 100 Amazing Authentic Recipes. 100 Great Recipes. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 48–49. ISBN   978-1-4729-1061-5 . Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tonkotsu ramen's international popularity inspires innovation". The Straits Times. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  6. ↑ 日本放送協会. "とんこつラーメン 麺の硬さのヒミツ – ロクいち!福岡". ロクいち!福岡 - NHK (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "ラーメン 麺のかたさ | 博多の魅力". 博多の魅力 | きっとあなたも博多を好きになる　博多の情報発信サイト (in Japanese). 7 August 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2025.

Further reading

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