Sho Spaeth is the lead writer and editor at ChefSteps.com. He is also the author of Homemade Ramen, a James Beard Award–nominated cookbook.

Sho Spaeth

What is ramen? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some might call it a miracle of industrial food production, a cheap and satisfying meal that anyone in the world can prepare in a matter of minutes. Others might call it junk food, a mix of highly processed starch and sodium designed to light up all our pleasure centers with the most delicious empty calories. And still others may say that it is the height of culinary expressions and innovation, a dish that is at once both rigidly defined and highly malleable, the perfect playground for technique-driven chefs. The funny thing about ramen is that it is all of these things. “Ramen,” like “pizza” or “hamburgers,” is a catch-all term for an overwhelming number of iterations on a seemingly simple dish. Despite the fact that there are countless kinds of ramen out there, all of them share a few defining characteristics, clearly distinguishing them from other noodle soups and placing them squarely in the “ramen” bucket. In this guide, we’ll cover the basic elements of ramen, the quiddity of its ramenness, if you will, and we’ll cover some of the more popular styles and variations. You’ll be able to order off any ramen restaurant menu with confidence because you’ll know what’s in the bowl.