Tokushima Ramen
Tokushima Ramen (Pork Bone Soy Ramen with Sweet Simmered Pork Belly and Raw Egg)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Tokushima Ramen is a local ramen eaten in Tokushima Prefecture. It is broadly divided into three styles according to the color of the soup: brown, yellow and white. What is generally known as 'Tokushima Ramen' is the brown style, a dark brown soup that combines tonkotsu (pork-bone) broth with a tare (seasoning base) of koikuchi (dark) soy sauce. Its distinctive feature is that, instead of chashu, it is topped with pork belly simmered in a sweet and savory sauce. Many shops have customers crack a raw egg into the bowl, and it is sometimes described as 'ramen like sukiyaki.' Locally, many people are said to eat ramen as a side dish with plain white rice. It became known nationwide after いのたに (Inotani) of Tokushima City opened a branch at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.
Origin
Accounts of its origin differ depending on the source. One account says that chuka soba (Chinese-style noodle) stalls appeared at night in prewar Tokushima City. Other sources, meanwhile, say it began at food stalls around 1949 (Showa 24), after the war. The first style to spread was the white style, with a cloudy pork-bone soup, and one theory traces its roots to a Chinese restaurant at the port of Komatsushima. Another background factor is said to be that inexpensive pork bones were available from the factory of Tokushima Ham (the predecessor of Nippon Ham).
History
The brown style, made by adding soy-sauce tare to the white-style soup, is said to have appeared around 1965 (Showa 40). What made the name known nationwide was the limited-time branch opened at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum by 中華そば いのたに (Chuka Soba Inotani) of Tokushima City. Many sources date this branch from September 1999 to May 2000, while some give 1998. Inotani is said to have ranked first in sales at the museum for four consecutive months, and it drew attention as 'the last local ramen of the century.' After this, Tokushima Ramen was featured in the media, and Tokushima Ramen shops spread beyond the prefecture as well.
Features
The brown style has a dark, sweet-and-savory soup that combines pork bones with koikuchi soy sauce or tamari soy sauce. The yellow style has a clear, yellow soup made from chicken-bone and vegetable stock seasoned with usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce. The white style has a whitish soup of pork-bone broth seasoned with usukuchi soy sauce, and is said to be common in the Komatsushima area. The noodles have little wave, are rather short, and are boiled on the soft side. Toppings include pork belly simmered in a sweet and savory sauce, green onions, menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) and bean sprouts.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
In Tokushima, it is said to be common to order a bowl of white rice along with ramen. The strongly flavored soup and the sweet and savory pork belly are eaten as accompaniments to the rice. If you ask for 'tamago' (egg) at a shop, you will be served a raw egg, which you crack into the soup and coat the meat and noodles with as you eat.
Famous Shops
中華そば いのたに 本店
徳島県徳島市西大工町4-25
A leading shop of the brown style, known as the shop that spread Tokushima Ramen nationwide through its branch at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. It is said to have been founded in 1966. According to listings in tourist guides, chuka soba starts from 650 yen (medium) and the version with meat from 800 yen (medium). It is open mainly at lunchtime and closes once sold out.
ラーメン東大 大道本店
徳島県徳島市大道1丁目36
The main store of a popular brown-style shop with branches both in and outside the prefecture. Pork belly simmered in a sweet and savory sauce tops a rich soy-sauce and pork-bone soup. The raw eggs on the tables are said to be free, and you can use as many as you like. According to listings in tourist guides, Tokushima Ramen starts from about 600 yen. It is said to be open until late at night.
岡本中華
徳島県小松島市中田町奥林60-1
Introduced as a shop representing the white style in Komatsushima. It is characterized by a whitish soup made by simmering pork bones and chicken bones for a long time. The flavor is described as mellow with a gentle sweetness. According to listings in tourist guides, chuka soba starts from 550 yen (small). Here you can taste another style of Tokushima Ramen, different from the brown style.
支那そば 三八
徳島県徳島市北田宮2丁目467
Introduced as a shop representing the yellow style. Its yellowish soy-sauce and pork-bone soup has a light flavor that is enjoyed by people of all ages. According to listings in tourist guides, shina soba starts from 530 yen (small). Comparing it with the brown style makes the differences between the styles easy to understand.
| Tokushima Ramen Men-O, Boxed, 3 Servings (アイランド食品) | A semi-fresh soy-sauce and pork-bone ramen bearing the name of 「徳島ラーメン 麺王」 (Tokushima Ramen Men-O), which has shops in front of Tokushima Station and elsewhere. It contains three servings and can be stored at room temperature. On online shopping sites it is sold from about 1,200 to 1,300 yen (tax included). It is also handled by the online shops of Tokushima souvenir stores. |
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| Kin-chan Tokushima Ramen (徳島製粉) | An instant version of Tokushima Ramen made by 徳島製粉 (Tokushima Seifun), known for 'Kin-chan Noodle.' It has a soy-sauce and pork-bone soup, and adding a raw egg is said to give it a flavor typical of Tokushima Ramen. It is easy to find at supermarkets and elsewhere in the prefecture. |
FAQ
Q. Does all Tokushima Ramen have a brown soup?
A. No. Tokushima Ramen is broadly divided into three styles according to the color of the soup: brown, yellow and white. The dark brown soup known nationwide is the brown style, which is said to be common in Tokushima City. The white style is said to be common in the Komatsushima area, and the yellow style at Chinese restaurants.