Here's something you might not know: Cup Noodles were originally conceived as a tool to defeat world hunger, not as the standard fuel for poor college students. In light of that, the news that the makers of the original Cup Noodle are releasing a limited-edition set of emergency Cup Noodles shouldn't be much of a surprise. They're just getting back to their roots.
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Momofuku Ando invented Cup Noodles in the aftermath of World War II. Postwar Japan saw substantial rationing, and hunger was rampant. Postwar authorities tried to push bread on the population, but Ando wondered why they were making bread instead of noodles, something the Japanese were more comfortable eating. Thus begun his quest to build a noodle that was shelf-stable and easy to prepare.
A couple of decades later, he struck upon the genius idea of putting ramen inside of a disposable cup and thus "Cup Noodle" was born.
So while Nissin isn't necessarily selling his original formulation, it is selling Cup Noodles under the original intent. You can preorder both chicken and original flavor and these emergency ration ramen are rated for a six-year shelf-life. Apparently, regular Cup Noodles last for only about a year on a shelf. To extend the shelf life, these special ramen are packaged inside a can with desiccant to help keep them fresh. They're available for preorder for the equivalent of around $37 plus shipping.
If you find yourself in Japan, you can actually visit the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum. Inside you'll not only be able to walk through exhibits detailing the long history of the cupped instant noodle but you'll also be able to build your own ramen in the "CUPNOODLES" factory.
