Cup Noodles

Cup Noodle (カップヌードル, Caapu Nūdoru) is a brand of instant ramen noodle snack manufactured by Nissin, packaged in a foam food container, hard plastic or paper cup. Other brand names are used in specific countries, such as the singular Cup Noodle in Japan, and the product has inspired numerous competitors, such as Maruchan's Instant Lunch.

History

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese food company Nissin. He used Chikin Ramen (Chicken Ramen) as the first instant ramen noodles.

In 1970, Nissin formed the subsidiary Nissin Foods (USA) Co. Inc, to sell instant noodles in the United States. Nissin recognized that the bowls traditionally used to package instant noodles in Asia were not common in the U.S, so they used the paper cup.

In 1971, they introduced instant ramen packaged in a foam cup. Originally, the product was known as Cup O' Noodles in the United States until 1993.

In 1978, Nissin Foods offers new varieties of Top Ramen and Cup O' Noodles.