Instant Ramen Made with Various North Korean Ingredients

Instant ramen is also a popular food in North Korea. Products imitating South Korean ramen have been launched in North Korea, with similar packaging designs and names being traded under the radar. Let’s take a closer look at what North Korean ramen is like.

Ramen, with its spicy broth and chewy noodles, perfectly fulfills the criteria of a beloved food among Koreans. It’s a simple and delicious instant food. North Korea also has ramen as a convenience food, but it’s not an everyday instant food like in South Korea. Instead, it’s a typical food for the affluent.

Ramen is a symbol of the affluent class. The price of a single pack of South Korean ramen can feed an entire family for one meal. Poor commoners sometimes buy ramen on special occasions, add tofu, and cook it.

In North Korea, ramen is called curly noodles or instant noodles. Around 2015, North Korea started producing ramen, launching various flavors such as beef, corn, and kimchi.

According to a South Korean YouTuber who tried ramen brought directly from North Korea by a foreign traveler, the taste is close to that of heavily spiced Chinese ramen. However, he said the broth is less oily and more refreshing than Chinese ramen.

North Korean ramen noodles soften faster than South Korean ramen, and the broth flavor doesn’t permeate the noodles, giving a separate sensation.

A type of ramen unique to North Korea is also known as dog meat ramen. It is known to be produced to cater to North Koreans who consume dog meat as a health food in China. Those who have tried it say it tastes similar to Korean ox blood soup.

North Korean dog meat ramen has been controversial in the past. However, rumors have circulated that actual dog meat is not included in the ramen.

Spicy ramen, including Shin Ramyun from South Korea, is very popular among North Koreans. Production of spicy ramen has also begun to increase in North Korea. Correspondingly launched were beef-flavored instant noodles and spicy chicken stir-fry noodles.

However, the most popular ramen is still South Korean ramen. It’s expensive and complicated to find compared to the demand, making it a sought-after item.

Given these circumstances, among the affluent in North Korea, it’s common to leave empty South Korean ramen boxes as a show of wealth. South Korean ramen is seen as a symbol of wealth.

Residents shun ramen released in North Korea and call it worker’s ramen. The reason is its inferior taste and quality. Although North Korean ramen is the cheapest, residents prefer expensive foreign ramen. Especially in the markets, the most popular are South Korean and Chinese ramen.

Amidst the relentless popularity of South Korean ramen, Chinese manufacturers have even started selling Shin Instant noodles. North Korean defectors have also said that South Korean ramen best suits their taste.