Today, we eat instant noodles whenever hunger strikes in the evening or late at night. We also turn to them when cooking feels like too much work. But this quick fix once helped solve a far more serious problem: food shortage. (Image: Pexels)

After World War II, Japan was struggling to recover, having lost to the Allies. Food was scarce and people often stood in long lines for a simple bowl of noodles. The country, known for its rice-based diet, faced hunger and needed an affordable, filling food source back then. (Image: Pexels)

In 1958, inventor and businessman Momofuku Ando, who witnessed this, decided to find a solution for the crisis. Working inside a small shed behind his home in Ikeda, Osaka, he experimented repeatedly, with only one goal in his mind: create tasty, affordable noodles that could be prepared quickly by anyone. (Image: Nissin.com)

After several trials and errors, Ando finally came up with Chicken Ramen, the world’s first-ever instant noodles. It was launched on August 25, 1958. He steamed and seasoned the noodles before flash-frying them to remove moisture. This gave them a long shelf life and allowed them to cook quickly in boiling water. (Image: Nissin.com)

Ando changed the way of eating instant noodles in 1971 with the invention of Cup Noodles. This time, the noodles came inside their own container with cutlery to eat and needed only hot water to become a complete meal. This is how the answer to hunger soon turned into a convenient food around the world. (Image: Nissin.com)

Momofuku Ando died on January 5, 2007, but his idea continues to live on. His company, Nissin Foods, still makes instant noodles and continues to sell his product as Top Ramen and Cup Noodles in a variety of flavours. They also experiment with new flavours, formats and products while carrying forward his original legacy. (Image: Nissin.com)

Nowadays, instant noodles are eaten across the world in countless flavours and styles. Each country has their own flavours and own style of making it. In India, Maggi has emerged as one of the popular brands of instant noodles that people from every age group continue to enjoy. (Image: Pexels)