Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles and founded Nissin Foods, which launched Chicken Ramen in 1958.
Ando was born in Taiwan in 1910 and later became a Japanese citizen. After World War II, he worked to develop an inexpensive, convenient food that could be prepared quickly. His experiments led to flash-fried noodles that dried into a shelf-stable block and could be softened with hot water.
Nissin introduced Chicken Ramen in 1958 and Cup Noodles in 1971. Ando’s work transformed noodles from a freshly prepared food into a globally distributed convenience product. He is sometimes confused with Kikunae Ikeda, the Japanese chemist associated with the discovery of monosodium glutamate and the flavor concept umami. Ikeda did not invent instant noodles.