Google Doodle Honors Instant Ramen Inventor: 5 Facts About Momofuku Ando

Instant noodles, aka ramen noodles in the U.S., have saved almost all of us at some point in our lives. Whether it was during college or when we just couldn’t imagine cooking after a very long day, we have Momofuku Ando to thank for the cheap and delicious meal. Google celebrated him with a Google Doodle Thursday on what would have been the inventor’s 105th birthday. Here are a few facts about Ando and instant noodles.

Ando’s Great Idea

Ando was born Go Pek-Hok Jan. 5, 1910, in Taiwan, which was controlled by Japan. He changed his name to Momofuku Ando after becoming a Japanese citizen at the end of World War II. His entrepreneurial streak emerged in college, when Ando ran two clothing companies, one in Taiwan’s Taipei and the other Japan’s Osaka, according to his obituary in the Japan Times.

Ando founded a firm similar to what would later be the Nissin Food Products Co. in 1948. He introduced instant noodles in 1958, when he released Chicken Ramen. He hatched the idea for the product after seeing a line of people seeking to buy fresh ramen at a black-market food outlet following WWII. Nissin entered the U.S. market in 1970. The following year, the company brought out Cup Noodle, which put everything in one convenient bowl.

Instant Noodles Eaten Everywhere, Including Space

In 2005, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi was getting ready for a space mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery. To celebrate the event, Nissin and Ando created Space Ram -- instant noodles that could be eaten in microgravity. Space Ram made it to space and was eaten by Noguchi during his mission. Ramen also would later find a home aboard the International Space Station with the arrival of JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata in 2008.

A Billion-Dollar Industry

Instant noodles accounted for more than $2 billion in sales for Nissin in 2013. The previous year, more than 100 billion instant-noodle packages were sold by the company and its competitors. Nissin’s net sales and net income increased in 2014.

So Many Flavors

Chicken, beef and bacon? Whether you’re enjoying Cup Noodles across the U.S. or around the world, chances are you’ll find some unique flavors from Nissin.

A Source Of Inspiration

David Chang is considered one of the best chefs in the world, with a successful restaurant empire whose outlets’ names frequently incorporate the word “Momofuku.” Chang has contended online that it means “lucky peach,” but his love of ramen is well known.