Asked about the foods that sell best in the whole world, do you often hear about Coca-Cola and McDonald's Big Macs from America? But think again, because the most successful worldwide food is instant noodles （方便面）.
A new book called Noodle Stories that was written 55 years after the birth of the instant noodles in Japan, mentioned that there were more than 100 billion cups of instant noodles worldwide in 2012—that's about 14 cups for every person on Earth. As for noodles themselves, they were invented more than 2, 000 years ago to become a worldwide staple （主食）.
▲ The oldest historical mention of noodles appeared in the third century AD in China. The earliest Chinese noodles were little pieces of dough （面团）thrown into boiling water. This kind of noodles, called mianpian, are still eaten in China today. Another early mention of noodles appeared in the fifth century AD in Jerusalem.
Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles in Japan in 1958. Few people know that instant noodles play an important role in hunger and disaster （灾害）relief. It's well-known that they are regarded as junk food, but they are a real "hunger killer". According to an online news report, the fat in instant noodles that is mixed with the delicious so up keeps one feeling full for longer. And that helps explain why "ramen", as they are called in Japanese, have become a staple on the world's food aid （援助）lists.
