What exactly is Stamina Ramen?
Yesterday, I got a cup of instant ramen, Cup Noodle Big Stamina Shoyu Ramen, released by Nissin recently.
Until then, I assumed Stamina Ramen (スタミナラーメン) is a Shoyu or soy sauce-flavored noodle soup with plenty of grated garlic that gives you stamina or the power to act.
But my thoughts about the dish were imperfect.
What exactly is Stamina Ramen?
Some ramen restaurants around where I live offer Stamina Ramen, but I didn’t know the exact definition of the dish.
So this time, I researched it and found out that, based on the article スタミナラーメン on Japanese Wikipedia, there are two different types of Stamina Ramen in Japan.
Stamina Ramen that Originated in Saitama
Image: Wikipedia
According to that Wikipedia post, one was created around the mid-1970s by a now-defunct ramen shop, Man-Man Tei (漫々亭), in Omiya, Saitama Prefecture.
This Stamina Ramen is what I am familiar with here in Niigata, an orthodox bowl of soy sauce-based ramen topped with thick, savory, garlicky Ankake sauce.
The Ankake topping typically consists of ground pork, Chinese chive, onions, and grated garlic/ginger that have been fried and seasoned with soy sauce and doubanjiang.
Stamina Ramen that originated in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki
Image: Wikipedia
The other Stamina Ramen originates from a bowl of Ankake Ramen served in a ramen shop around 1970, located in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, named Daishin (大進) (Google Map).
The dish now has been a local specialty of Hitachinaka, where over 40 restaurants offer it.
This ramen is a bowl of Shoyu Ramen topped with thick, sweet, spicy Ankake sauce containing cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, and seasoned liver, where the noodles are served hot or chilled with no broth.
Conclusion
By the way, I haven’t tried Hitachinaka’s Stamina Ramen yet, and I’d say Saitama’s is more famous nationwide.
As for the newly released instant ramen Nissin Cup Noodle Big Stamina Shoyu Ramen, it, too, was a garlicky Saitama version.
