A Brief History
On August 25, 1958, the first ever publicly marketed instant noodle meal called Chikin Ramen was sold by Nissin Foods, a Japanese food company. Still made today, the product was the invention of Momofuku Ando.
Digging Deeper
Various types of ramen noodles are common today, and although high in sodium, they are easy to prepare and rather tasty. Some other “instant” foods developed during the Baby Boomer generation (1946 to 1964) include:
TV Dinners made their debut in 1954 when Swanson started selling frozen dinners in aluminum trays so busy moms did not have to cook and lose TV watching time!
Tang, the drink mix used by NASA astronauts, was first sold in 1959. Although 31 grams of the powder contains 29 grams of sugar, our astronauts are still served the faux orange beverage.
Carnation Instant Breakfast came about in 1964, a powder to be mixed with milk in handy packets for people in a morning hurry.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What foods would you add to this list?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Siegel, Matt. The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat. Ecco., 2021.
Swystun, Jeff. TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals. Independently published, 2023.
