One type of ramen that has become especially well-known nationwide with the local ramen boom is Toyama black, found in Toyama Prefecture.
The dish has a surprisingly long history, starting in 1955 when it became popular during the post-war restoration efforts as a meal that delivered a salt hit along with energy from the carbohydrates in the noodles, as well as a tasty broth with a strong shoyu (soy sauce) based.
It didn’t originally have a name, but was christened Toyama black on the internet for it’s amazingly black colored soup, and this name helped it become a hit throughout Japan.
The street stall that created the dish, “Taiki”, has closed down, but you can try the dark broth and full-bodied flavor of Toyama black at “Nishicho-taiki”, a restaurant that has inherited the flavor of the original dish.
