Middle-class consumers around the world – including in countries with no tradition of eating noodles – are turning to instant ramen in droves

Spicy tomato, seafood, teriyaki chicken, Korean barbecue, cheese curry. Or for those with a gargantuan appetite, an “American breakfast” – all served in a pot along with a block of air-dried noodles.

When Momofuku Ando invented insutanto ramen in his back yard shed in Osaka 65 years ago, he could have had little inkling that the simple, starchy convenience food would become a global food staple.