Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen[1] or buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 불닭볶음면, fire chicken stir-fried noodles), is a South Korean brand of instant noodle, produced by Samyang Foods since April 2012. The large cup ramyeon debuted in June 2012, and a smaller cup was released in November 2013.[2] It is considered one of the spiciest instant noodles available in the Korean market, with the original packet having 4,404 Scoville units.[3][4] It is a type of 'stir-fried' dry noodle: after boiling, the noodles are drained, and mixed with a spicy sauce and a topping. Buldak-bokkeum-myeon became famous due to the Fire Noodle Challenge, a viral challenge where people film themselves attempting to complete a packet or bowl of these noodles.[5][6]
Alternative names | Fire Noodles Buldak-bokkeum-myeon |
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Type | Noodle |
Place of origin | South Korea |
Created by | Samyang Food |
Main ingredients | Dried or precooked noodle, seasoning |
Buldak-bokkeum-myeon is Samyang's best-selling product. 100 million cumulative sales were reached in March 2014, and the brand attained monthly sales of 6 to 7 billion won the following year (5.1 to 5.9 million United States dollars).[7] From the second half of 2016, as exports of this product increased, they became the company's best-seller. In 2017, the Buldak range accounted for more than 85% of Samyang Food's total exports and 55% of total sales. In 2016, when “Buldak-bokkeummyeon” began to be sold in earnest, Samyang Foods' sales grew 23.5% to 35.9 billion won, followed by a double-digit growth rate in 2017 with a sales of 450 billion won (estimated value).[8] For this reason, Samyang Foods received the '100 Million Dollar Export Tower' at the '54th Trade Day 2017' event.[9]
Since the release of the original in 2012 and subsequent success, Samyang has released varieties that differ in spice and often flavour from the original to keep up with demand.[10]
English name | Romaja | Weight (g) |
Calories (kcal) |
SHU | Shelf life (months) |
Launch Date | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen | Buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 140 | 530 | 4,404 | 6 | April, 2012 | [11] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen 2x Spicy | Haek-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 140 | 545 | 8,808 | 6 | January, 2016 | [12] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Cheese | Chijeu-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 140 | 550 | 2,323 | 6 | March, 2016 | [13] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Ice | Kul-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 135 | 600 | 4,404 | 6 | August, 2016 | [14] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Stew | Tang-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 145 | 540 | 4,705 | 6 | August, 2016 | [15] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Curry | Keori-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 140 | 555 | 3,810 | 6 | December, 2016 | [16] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Mala | Mara-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 135 | 520 | 2,700 | 6 | October, 2017 | [17] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Carbonara | Carbonara-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 130 | 550 | 2,600 | 6 | December, 2017 | [18] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Jjajang | Jjajang-buldak-bokkeum-myeon | 140 | 560 | 1,920 | 6 | March, 2018 | [19] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Mini | Haek-buldak-bokkeum-myeon-mini | 93 | 353 | 12,000 | 4 | December, 2018 | [20] |
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen, or buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 불닭볶음면) in Korean language is the original product of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen, which was launched in April, 2012.[11][21] The noodle is inspired by buldak, a barbecued spicy chicken dish.[22]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen 2x Spicy, or haek-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 핵불닭볶음면) in Korean is an initially limited edition version of the Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen celebrating the beginning of 2017 as the year of the Fire-Rooster ("Jeongyu" in Korea) in the Sexagenary cycle, and it is measured to be 8,706 SHU. It released in January, 2016. In December, 2018, a mini version of “Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen 2x Spicy” was released for a limited time. It is measured to be 12,000 SHU. In Korea, the word "haek" is slang for "really", "extreme", or "very", to compare nuclear bombs
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Cheese, or chijeu-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 치즈불닭볶음면) in Korean language is a version of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen with cheese powder,[23] released in March, 2016.[13]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Ice, or kul-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 쿨불닭비빔면) in Korean language is an annual limited edition of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen sold only in the summer season,[24] which is launched in August, 2016.[14]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Stew, or buldak-bokkeum-tangmyeon (Korean: 불닭볶음탕면) in Korean language is a version of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen that is served in a soup,[25] released in August, 2016.[15]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Curry, or keori-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 커리불닭볶음면) in Korean language combines the flavor of Korean style curry with Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen.[26] It was released in December, 2016.[16]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Mala as unofficial name, or mara-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 마라불닭볶음면) in Korean language is a version of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen with mala powder from Sichuan, China.[27] It was released in October, 2017.[17]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Carbonara, or carbonara-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 까르보불닭볶음면) in Korean language is a version of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen with carbonara sauce, inspired by the pasta dish carbonara.[18] It was released in December, 2017.[28]
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Jjajang, or jjajang-buldak-bokkeum-myeon (Korean: 짜장불닭볶음면) in Korean language is version of Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen with a black bean sauce.[19] It was released in March, 2018.[29]
The popularity of the noodles worldwide surged when The Fire Noodle Challenge went viral on YouTube. The challenge was first started by the YouTube Channel "Korean Englishman" in 2014, in which Josh Carrott, the main host of the channel, challenged his friends in the UK to see who could finish the noodles the fastest without drinking any water or beverage to cool the heat down.[30] The popularity of the video led to other YouTubers all around the world to do the same challenge and therefore cause a surge in the noodle's popularity.[31]
The mascot of the Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen series is a chicken named "Hochi" (Korean: 호치).[32]
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