four types of soup
Ramen can be classified by the type of soup.
The four most basic and popular soups are shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, and shio.
In Japan, all are equally popular, but tonkotsu is especially popular among men.
“dashi” + “tare”
Generally, ramen soup is made by adding “tare” (=sauce) to “dashi” (=broth).
For example, in the case of shoyu ramen, “dashi” is made by simmering chicken bones or seafood for several hours.
And, of course, “tare” is shoyu(=soy sauce).
(The ingredients for “dashi” vary depending on the chef. A variety of ingredients are used, including pork bones, beef bones, and vegetables such as onions and carrots.)
Other soups
In addition to the four typical types, there are many other types of soup.
Tonkotsu-shoyu soup is a mixture of tonkotsu and shoyu, and tonkotsu-miso soup is a mixture of tonkotsu and miso.
Furthermore, a soup that emphasizes seafood dashi is called gyokai kei soup, and a soup that uses chicken bones instead of pork bones is called tori paitan soup.
Every day, many ramen chefs come up with delicious soups. In fact, there are an infinite number of types of ramen soup.