The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Global Food Craze

Today’s post is on The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Global Food Craze by George Solt. It is 222 pages long and is published by University of California Press. The cover is a picture of a man standing at a ramen stand and eating. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of ramen and how it became the national food of Japan. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A rich, salty, and steaming bowl of noodle soup, ramen has become an international symbol of the cultural prowess of Japanese cuisine. In this highly original account of geopolitics and industrialization in Japan, George Solt traces the meteoric rise of ramen from humble fuel for the working poor to international icon of Japanese culture.

Ramen’s popularity can be attributed to political and economic change on a global scale. Using declassified U.S. government documents and an array of Japanese sources, Solt reveals how the creation of a black market for American wheat imports during the U.S. occupation of Japan (1945–1952), the reindustrialization of Japan’s labor force during the Cold War, and the elevation of working-class foods in redefining national identity during the past two decades of economic stagnation (1990s–2000s), all contributed to the establishment of ramen as a national dish.

This book is essential reading for scholars, students of Japanese history and food studies, and anyone interested in gaining greater perspective on how international policy can influence everyday foods around the world.

Review- An interesting, if technical, history of ramen in Japan. Solt does good research in this book to give the reader an excellent understanding of ramen and its evolving place in Japanese cuisine. Starting with the earliest recorded in the 1600’s to the modern national food that ramen has become, Solt gets into all the legends and real records around ramen. At times, this is a very dense book with lots of details about population, income, and other important statistics but it can make your eyes glaze over after a while. That said, if you are interested in food history, then you will love all the details. I did enjoy this book, I learned a lot about ramen and about Japanese food history. I would recommend this book if you like food history. 

I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.