Editing Ramen (section)

==Types==
A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Usually varieties of ramen are differentiated by the type of broth and tare used. There are five components to a bowl of ramen: tare, aroma oil, broth, noodles, and toppings.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Satinover |first=Mike |title=The Ramen_Lord Book of Ramen |year=2020 |pages=4–6}}</ref>

===Noodles===
[[File:Fresh ramen noodle 001.jpg|thumb|Fresh ramen noodles]]
The type of noodles used in ramen are called {{Nihongo||中華麺|chūkamen|{{lit|Chinese noodles}}}}, which are derived from traditional Chinese [[alkaline noodles]] known as {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ miàn}} ({{lang|zh|鹼水麵}}). Most {{Nihongo|||chūkamen|}} are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and ''{{ill|kansui|ja|かん水}}'', derived from the Chinese {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ}} ({{lang|zh|鹼水}}), a type of alkaline mineral water containing [[sodium carbonate]] and usually [[potassium carbonate]], as well as sometimes a small amount of [[phosphoric acid]]. Ramen is not to be confused with different kinds of noodle such as [[soba]], [[udon]], or [[somen]].

The {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ}} is the distinguishing ingredient in {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ miàn}}, and originated in [[Inner Mongolia]], where some lakes contain large amounts of these minerals and whose water is said to be perfect for making these noodles. Making noodles with {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ}} lends them a yellowish hue as well as a firm texture.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} But since there is no natural {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ}} or ''kansui'' in Japan, it was difficult to make {{lang|zh-latn|jiǎnshuǐ miàn}} or ''chūkamen'' before the [[Meiji Restoration]] (1868).

Ramen comes in various shapes and lengths. It may be thick, thin, or even ribbon-like, as well as straight or wrinkled.

Traditionally, ramen noodles were made by hand, but with growing popularity, many ramen restaurants prefer to use noodle-making machines to meet the increased demand and improve quality. Automatic ramen-making machines imitating manual production methods have been available since the mid-20th century produced by such Japanese manufacturers as Yamato MFG. and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/living/food-drink/article78701612.html|title=Fusion of cultures nets stellar ramen at Ichimi|website=miamiherald|language=en|access-date=2019-01-18}}</ref>

===Soup===
[[File:Ichiran ramen by SkyChen in Shibuya, Tokyo.jpg|thumb|Ramen in tonkotsu soup]]
Similar to Chinese soup bases, ramen soup is generally made from chicken or pork, though vegetable and fish stock is also used.<ref name="MAFF_10Tastes2019"/> This base stock is often combined with [[dashi]] stock components such as [[katsuobushi]] ([[skipjack tuna]] flakes), [[niboshi]] (dried baby sardines),<ref name="MAFF_10Tastes2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-113.pdf|title=10 Great Tastes of Japan|at=p.11: Noodles|date=2010-06-18|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Government of Japan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828080016/http://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-113.pdf|archive-date=2019-08-28|url-status=live|language=en}}
*Whole web page which links to the PDF above: {{cite web|url=https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/|title=Publications|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Government of Japan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101072024/https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/|archive-date=2020-11-01|url-status=live|at=Japanese Cuisine and Ingredients|language=en}}</ref> saba bushi ([[mackerel]] flakes), [[shiitake]], and [[kombu]] (kelp). Ramen stock is usually divided into two categories: chintan and paitan.
* '''''Chintan''''' ({{lang|ja|清湯}}; 'clear soup'), derived from the Chinese ''qīngtāng'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|清湯}}), is a clear stock, made by simmering ingredients and frequently skimming foam and scum off the top of the pot.<ref name=":5" /> Chintan stocks are the most common kind, and can be made from chicken, pork, vegetables and/or niboshi.
*{{Anchor|Tonkotsu}}{{lang|ja-latn|'''Paitan'''}} ({{lang|ja|白湯}}; 'white soup'), derived from the Chinese ''[[Soups in East Asian culture#Chinese|baitang]]'' ({{lang|zh|白湯}}), is a broth with an opaque white colored appearance and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Paitan stock is made by boiling pork or chicken bones at a high heat for hours at a time, allowing the bones to emulsify into the soup. The most well-known and common paitan stock is {{lang|ja-latn|'''Tonkotsu'''}} ({{lang|ja|豚骨}}, 'pork bone'; not to be confused with ''[[tonkatsu]]''). Although {{lang|ja-latn|tonkotsu}} is merely a kind of broth, some people consider '''[[tonkotsu ramen|''tonkotsu'' ramen]]''' (specialty of Kyushu, its birthplace) a distinct flavor category.<ref name="Davis2016" /> When chicken bones are used to make a paitan stock, the resulting soup is called ''tori paitan'' ({{lang|ja|鶏白湯}}).

===Tare===
[[File:Santoka ramen.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ja-latn|Shio}} ramen]]
[[File:Gyoza no Ousho 20191210 125203.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ja-latn|Shōyu}} ramen]]
[[File:Dosanko Akaneri.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ja-latn|Miso}} ramen]]
[[File:Muroran Curry Ramen Ajino-Daioh Muroran Honten.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ja-latn|Karē}} ramen]]
[[Tare sauce]] is a sauce that is used to flavor the broth. The main purpose of tare is to provide salt to the broth, but tare also usually adds other flavors, such as umami. There are three main kinds of tare.<ref name=":5" />
* {{Anchor|Shio}}{{lang|ja-latn|'''Shio'''}} ({{lang|ja|塩}}, 'salt') ramen is the oldest of the four types.<ref name="Davis2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.tastemade.com/articles/6-glorious-types-of-ramen-you-should-know|title=6 Glorious Types of Ramen You Should Know|date=2016-02-12|access-date=2020-07-31|website=Tastemade|last=Davis|first=Elizabeth}}</ref> This tare is made from cooking alcohols like [[mirin]] and [[sake]], [[umami]] ingredients like kombu, niboshi and [[Monosodium glutamate|MSG]], and salt. Occasionally pork bones are also used, but they are not boiled as long as they are for {{lang|ja-latn|tonkotsu}} ramen, so the soup remains light and clear. In shio ramen, ''[[chāshū]]'' is sometimes swapped for lean chicken meatballs, and pickled plums and ''[[kamaboko]]'' (a slice of processed fish roll sometimes served as a frilly white circle with a pink or red spiral called ''[[narutomaki]]'') are popular toppings as well. Noodle texture and thickness varies among {{lang|ja-latn|shio}} ramen, but they are usually straight rather than curly. ''[[Hakodate]] ramen'' is a well-known version of {{lang|ja-latn|shio}} ramen in Japan.
*{{Anchor|Shoyu|Shōyu}}{{lang|ja-latn|'''Shōyu'''}} ({{lang|ja|醤油}}, '[[soy sauce]]') tare is similar to shio tare, but with the addition of soy sauce, which boosts the salty and umami flavor even further. {{lang|ja-latn|Shōyu}} ramen usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones, although this is not always the case. It is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots or ''[[menma]]'', scallions, {{lang|ja-latn|ninjin}} ('carrot'), {{lang|ja-latn|kamaboko}} ('fish cakes'), {{lang|ja-latn|nori}} ('seaweed'), boiled eggs, bean sprouts or [[black pepper]]; occasionally the soup will also contain chili oil or Chinese spices, and some shops serve sliced beef instead of the usual ''[[chāshū]]''.
*{{Anchor|Miso}}{{lang|ja-latn|'''Miso'''}} ({{lang|ja|味噌}}) ramen reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Sapporo Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious [[miso]] and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with {{lang|ja-latn|tonkotsu}} or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup. {{lang|ja-latn|Miso}} ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor, so it stands up to a variety of flavorful toppings: spicy bean paste or ''[[Doubanjiang|tōbanjan]]'' ({{ill|豆瓣醤|zh| 豆瓣酱|vertical-align=sup}}), butter and corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, cabbage, [[sesame seed]]s, white pepper, chilli and chopped garlic are common. The noodles are typically thick, curly, and slightly chewy.

===Toppings===
[[File:GOMOKU SOBA 五目そば.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ja-latn|Gomoku}} ramen, sometimes called {{lang|ja-latn|Gomoku soba}}]]
After basic preparation, ramen can be adorned with any number of toppings, including but not limited to:<ref>{{cite web |title=40 Best Ramen Toppings for Your Homemade Noodle Soup |url=https://recipes.net/articles/best-ramen-toppings/ |website=Recipe.net |date=3 June 2021 |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>
* ''[[Chāshū]]'' (sliced barbecued or braised pork)
* ''[[Allium fistulosum|Negi]]'' (green onion)
* {{Lang|ja-latn|Takana-zuke}} (Pickled and seasoned mustard leaves)
* Seasoned (usually [[Salted duck egg|salted]]) [[boiled egg]] ([[soy egg]], {{lang|ja-latn|ajitsuke tamago}} or ''ajitama'')
* [[Bean sprout|Bean]] or other sprouts
* ''[[Menma]]'' (lactate-fermented bamboo shoots)
* ''[[Kakuni]]'' (braised pork cubes or squares)
* {{lang|ja-latn|Kikurage}} ([[Black fungi|wood ear mushroom]])
* [[Nori]] (dried [[seaweed]])
* ''[[Kamaboko]]'' (formed fish paste, often in a pink and white spiral called ''[[narutomaki]]'')
* [[Squid as food|Squid]]
* ''[[Umeboshi]]'' (pickled plum)
* [[Maize|Corn]]
* [[Butter]]
* [[Wakame]] (a type of seaweed)
* [[Olive oil]]
* [[Sesame oil]]
* ''Mayu'' (black garlic oil)
* Other types of [[vegetable]]s

===Preference===
Seasonings commonly added to ramen are white pepper, [[black pepper]], butter, [[chili pepper]], sesame seeds, and crushed garlic.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hou|first=Gary G.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QTNziv6yAcC&q=seasoning+ramen+common&pg=PT164|title=Asian Noodles: Science, Technology, and Processing|date=2011-02-16|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-07435-0|language=en}}</ref> Soup recipes and methods of preparation tend to be closely guarded secrets.

Most {{lang|ja-latn|tonkotsu}} ramen restaurants offer a system known as {{lang|ja-latn|kae-dama}} ({{lang|ja|替え玉}}), where customers who have finished their noodles can request a "refill" (for a few hundred yen more) to be put into their remaining soup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mukai.dameningen.org/nagahama/faq-e.html |title=Hakata Ramen (Nagahama Ramen) FAQ |publisher=Mukai.dameningen.org |access-date=2012-11-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401011822/http://mukai.dameningen.org/nagahama/faq-e.html |archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref>