Umakara vs. Karashibi Ramen: What’s the Difference?

Many Japanese dishes come in Umakara (旨辛), and representative examples include Umakara Sauce, Umakara Ramen, and Umakara Tan-Tan Men.

But first and foremost, what does the term mean?

Meaning of Umakara (旨辛)

Umakara Tan Tan Men

Umakara is a Japanese portmanteau word formed by combining Umai (旨い), meaning tasty/delicious, and Karai (辛い) for spicy or hot in English.

So the foods with this term in the name generally have a spicy but delicious taste.

Umakara Ramen vs. Karashibi Ramen

Umakara Ramen is spicy and hot, but the noodle soup is packed with umami from various ingredients and tastes good.

Nissin Raoh Shibi-Kara Mapo Miso Ramen Instant Noodle

Karashibi Ramen (カラシビラーメン) or Shibikara Ramen (シビカララーメン) is similar to Umakara Ramen.

Both the spiciness of Uma-Kara Ramen and Kara-Shibi Ramen often comes from red chili pepper or Togarashi (唐辛子).

But the latter dish typically adds a Shibireru (痺れる: tingling) sensation to the Karai spicy taste using sansho pepper and Chinese prickly ash (Sichuan pepper).

Nissin Raoh Karashibi Mapo Miso Ramen

(Reference Page: Kakakumag.com )

Tomo

Hi, I'm Tomo, a Japanese blogger living in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. For the purpose of enriching your life, I would like to introduce things about Japan on this blog, especially unique Japanese products, cooking recipes, cultures, and facts and trivia.

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