 Why cup ramen is so popular worldwide? Explained in three minutes Hi, I'm Sarah. I couldn't live without cup ramen. I wonder who invented it Sarah's friend Toku is quite a gourmet and happy to explain the history of instant noodles begins in Japan in 1958 when Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen Momofuku was chairman of a credit association, but it failed and he lost everything It was just after the war food was scarce and many were eating in the streets at ramen noodle stands Momofuku saw a demand for ramen that anyone could make quickly He conducted many experiments in his garden shed Inspired by tempura he eventually developed a method for frying noodles in hot oil Put these noodles in a bowl simply add hot water and they're ready to eat. This was the first instant ramen Instant ramen was a huge hit Momofuku wanted to expand overseas But there was a problem people in many countries weren't used to eating from bowls with chopsticks On a trip to America, he saw people putting his noodles in paper cups and eating them with forks This gave him an idea Noodles in their own cup easy to eat with a fork too 1971 saw the launch of the world's first cup ramen product cup noodles The cup has three functions. It's packaging cookware and tableware. This was a truly revolutionary idea His invention meant meals could be stored at room temperature and cooked anywhere just by adding hot water Cup noodles and other cup ramen products quickly spread from Japan throughout the world Cup ramen is now sold in over 80 countries and regions in 2016 worldwide demand reached almost 20 billion One reason cut ramen is so popular everywhere is that soup and seasoning can easily be changed to match local tastes So for example German consumers love mushroom soup and in Thailand The favorite variety is Tom Yumkun But the key to making the tastiest cup ramen is adding the right amount of hot water and waiting for the correct time No more no less wait for exactly three minutes Why three minutes is just long enough to comfortably stimulate the appetite and as they say hunger is the best spice Thanks to Toku I now get the picture, but three minutes are almost up Please excuse me