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Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nissin Foods GmbH

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Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nissin Foods GmbH - Germany - The Ramen Rater - Instant Noodles

Interview With Nissin Foods GmbH * Product Samples From Nissin Foods GmbH * Nissin Demae Ramen Tokyo Soy Sauce * Nissin Cup Noodles Shrimps * Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy * Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Sukiyaki Beef * Nissin Demae Ramen Thai Tom Yum * Nissin Cup Noodles Ente (Duck) * Nissin Demae Ramen Garlic Chicken Flavour * Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Yakitori Chicken * Nissin Cup Noodles Curry * Nissin Demae Ramen Korean Kimchi Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Huhn (Chicken) * Nissin Soba Gebratene Nudeln Thai* Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy * Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Beef Flavour

I have had a really hard time sourcing instant noodle varieties from Europe. In fact, 99% of them have come from readers. I have to fortune to know Mr. Raffael Lauser, a reviewer at Happy Souper in Germany. He told I should contact Nissin Germany and see if they’d want to play ball. Well, thanks to him, they did! Here is an interview to kick off the Nissin GmbH Meet The Manufacturer I conducted with Anna Sattelmeier, Supervisor Consumer Communication.

Interview With Nissin Foods GmbH – Germany

THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you for agreeing to this interview! To start, can you tell my readers about the history of Nissin in Germany?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Nissin Foods Germany was founded in 1993. In 1995 we became also the European Sales Headquarter. At that time authentic Japanese Instant noodles were almost unknown in Europe.

TRR> What was the first product you produced?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> We started with Cup Noodles and Top Ramen at the same time.

TRR> Your company is located in Germany. Can you tell us a little about your country and the area you’re located in?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Germany is located in the middle of Europe. We have the sea to the north and the Alps to the south. The tastes of foods are correspondingly different. Germans also like more and more international
authentic foods which is a great benefit for our products.

TRR> Can you tell us about the varieties of noodles you make?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> We have mainly Cup Noodles, Soba cups and bags, Demae Ramen and Top Ramen.

TRR> Nissin Soba – the cups are very fancy – can you tell us about the noodles and cups?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Soba is equipped with a special drainable cap so one can pour out the hot water through its openings after steeping the noodles. In this way the noodles are firm and thus perfect for saucy noodles.

TRR> How many noodle products do you produce every year?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> In our production which is located in Hungary we produced 2016 about 100 million units.

TRR> How does your noodle making process differ from other instant noodle manufacturers?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Due to the history of Nissin as the inventor of Instant noodles we have gained a great technical know-how in producing instant noodles. One of the secret of Nissin noodles lies in the products’ unique texture – Nissin noodles are firmer which have more ‘bite’ (or: are more ‘al dente’)

TRR> Do your products have primarily German tastes in mind or are there varieties that bring International tastes to the table?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Even the taste within Germany –and more over in Europe –varies, thus all customers in Europe enjoy our authentic international tastes.

TRR> Are any of your varieties really spicy?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> I would judge Demae Ramen Spicy, Demae Ramen Korean Kimchi, Top Ramen Chili and Cup Noodles Spicy as really spicy, but of course it depends on your personal feeling, whether you consider these products as very spicy.

TRR> A lot of people are concerned with their sodium intake. How would you recommend people enjoy your product as part of a healthy meal?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Not focusing only at sodium intake: We would always recommend a varied diet to stay healthy.

TRR> Are you involved in in your local community or participate in charities?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Yes. As a food producer we have a great responsibility for the community.
So for example in case of natural catastrophes or similar cases we help with donations of our products.

TRR> Are there any new products coming soon?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> We are constantly working on innovations. Let yourself be surprised…

TRR> In what countries are your products popular? Do people enjoy them differently in different places?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Our products are very popular amongst total Europe. There is not a big difference how the people enjoy them.

TRR> When you make noodles for yourself, what do you like to add to them to make them extra special?

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Sometimes I add some vegetables or chicken meat to the bag type products, but mostly I enjoy them pure!

THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you very much for this opportunity to learn about Nissin Germany and your products!

NISSIN FOODS GERMANY> Thank you and our best regards to all instant noodles fans from Germany!

Thanks to Anna for doing this interview and again to Raffael of Happy Souper!

#1975: Nissin Soba Fried Noodles Classic

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The very last one from James B. of the Netherlands – thanks again, buddy! Kind of interesting to note that this review is the same number as the year I was born. I remember when I hit review #500 and #1000 – seems so long ago! Let’s check out some yakisoba from Germany!

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetable sachet to a pan and add 250ml water. Cook until liquid is all but absorbed and add in contents of liquid sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A liquid sachet.

Smells like yakisoba sauce!

A vegetable sachet.

A nice little mixture.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and barbecue pork. The noodles came out pretty well; a little fluffier than I would have liked. The yakisoba sauce was alright, but just seemed to be missing that slight Worcestershire/tamarind bite. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 5997523324278.

Nissin Yakisoba UFO, Instant Sosu Pan-fried Noodles, Large Size, 5.9oz(168g) X 3 Tubs (For 3 Servings) [Japan Import]

Probably my favorite instant noodle documentary.

#1916: Nissin Soba Fried Noodles Teriyaki

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Here’s another one James B. sent me from The Netherlands – thanks again! I’ve reviewed these varieties in cup form, but not the packs and I’m really pleased to be able to. These come from Nissin Germary! Let’s have a look!

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetable sachet to a pan and add 250ml water. Cook until liquid is all but absorbed and add in contents of liquid sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The liquid sachet.

A teriyaki flavor yakisoba sauce.

A vegetable sachet.

Lots of little bits.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and barbecue pork. The noodles cooked up nicely and had a decent chew to them. The flavor wasn’t exactly what I would expect teriyaki yakisoba to taste like; it’s kind of got it’s own thing going on. Nevertheless, it’s tame and has a nice flavor to it. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 5997523324315.

Nissin Yakisoba UFO, Instant Sosu Pan-fried Noodles, Large Size, 5.9oz(168g) X 3 Tubs (For 3 Servings) [Japan Import]

An excellent documentary about the first instant noodle company. Ever.

#1869: Nissin Soba Fried Noodles Chili

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Here’s another one James B. sent me from The Netherlands – thanks again! I’ve reviewed these varieties in cup form, but not the packs and I’m really pleased to be able to. These come from Nissin Germary! Let’s have a look!

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetable sachet to a pan and add 250ml water. Cook until liquid is all but absorbed and add in contents of liquid sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The ‘sauce and spice mix’ sachet.

An oil and yakisoba sauce mixture.

A vegetable sachet.

Looks to be mainly green onion.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, Shirakiku kizami shoga, mayonnaise and bbq pork. The noodles seemed to be a little on the squishy side, a little more than I prefer. The flavor is your basic yakisoba just with a hit of spiciness. Not enough to make your mouth catch fire, but a nice little taste. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 5997523324292.

Nissin Yakisoba UFO, Instant Sosu Pan-fried Noodles, Large Size, 5.9oz(168g) X 3 Tubs (For 3 Servings) [Japan Import]

Probably the best history of Nissin Foods around the world.

#1813: Nissin Soba Fried Noodles Curry

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Here’s another one James B. sent me from The Netherlands – thanks again! I’ve reviewed these varieties in cup form, but not the packs and I’m really pleased to be able to. These come from Nissin Germary! Let’s have a look!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetable sachet to a pan and add 250ml water. Cook until liquid is all but absorbed and add in contents of liquid sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A liquid sachet.

Has a very sweet curry scent.

The vegetables sachet.

Looks like most spring onion.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added barbecue pork, spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles sucked up the 250ml of water easily and were evenly hydrated. They have a good texture and chew to them. The flavor is a light, sweet curry and has a nice oiliness to the noodles. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 5997523324339.

Nissin Yakisoba UFO, Instant Sosu Pan-fried Noodles, Large Size, 5.9oz(168g) X 3 Tubs (For 3 Servings) [Japan Import]

One of my favorite documentaries about instant noodles.

#1733: Bonasia Instant Noodles Beef Flavour

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Here’s another one that was sent to me from Thailand by the Thai President Foods folks. This is made in the EU for the German market! I thought maybe I’d make my son some beef flavored instant noodles today – let’s have a look!

The back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add package contents to a bowl and add 320ml boiling water. Cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dual sachet of soup base on the left and chilli powder on the right.

The chilli powder atop the soup base. I’m going to see what happens – not going to tell Andy there’s anything spicy in this one.

The oil sachet.

Has a beef scent to it.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added spring onion, white onion, beef and mung bean sprouts. The noodles had a good consistency and hydrated very nicely. The broth had a very nice beef taste and a good oiliness to it which gave it a reasonable homestyle kind of feel  to it. The chilli powder was a nice little touch and didn’t make it detectably spicy. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4316734068411.

Rick Steves Germany 2015

A video about travelling Germany.

#1368: Nissin Soba Teriyaki Noodles With Japanese Yakisoba Sauce

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Nissin has factories all over the world – even one in Germany! This is one of the varieties manufactured there. Soba is a type of noodles. Yakisoba is that noodle being fried (there’s yakiudon as well). These cups are really neat – let’s pop it open and look inside!

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Not sure about meat in this one so check for yourself. To make it, you add hot water, put the lid on for 3 minutes. Then use the lid as a strainer. Add the packet of liquid and stir and you’re done.

Here’s a shot of the plastic lid which doubles as a drain tool.

Detail of the foil lid (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The sauce sachet.

Has a curious scent.

Vegetable pieces are in the cup and not inside a sachet.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sauteed pork, kiazmi shoga (pickled ginger), green onion and sweet onion. The noodles were thinner in gauge than traditional soba, but they had the same kind of texture which was very nice. The flavor was alright, but it seemed a lot less sweet than teriyaki sauces I’ve had in the past. Then again, it’s yakisoba sauce, but didn’t really detect the Worcestershire flavor that’s usually very present. The flavor was different; not bad, just different. The vegetables hydrated well. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 5997523313159.

This is a great documentary about the advent of the instant noodle.