Champon

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A bowl of champon

Champon (ちゃんぽん, Chanpon^?) is a Japanese noodle dish with origins from China. It originated from Fujian cuisine (湯肉絲麺), as it was invented by the owner of a Chinese restaurant, Shikairo (四海楼), in Nagasaki, Japan^[1]. In the middle of Meiji period, the owner saw a need for a cheap, but filling, meal that fitted the taste of hundreds of Chinese students who came to Japan for schooling opportunities. In Jemulpo, Korea (Incheon) at the same time, Chinese people introduced a similar noodle dish (See Korean Chinese cuisine).^{[citation needed]} Nowadays Champon is a popular specialty food (or meibutsu) of Nagasaki and is a one of most popular Koreanized Chinese foods in Korea.

Champon is made by frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones is added. A ramen noodle made especially for champon is added and then boiled. Unlike other ramen dishes, only one pan is needed as the noodle is boiled in the soup. Depending on the season and the situation, ingredients differ. Hence the taste and style may depend on the location and time of year..

The word champon may also be used for many kinds of random acts where things are mixed. It can also be used to describe the practice of mixing different types of alcohol on a single occasion. The word is thought to have the same origins^{[citation needed]} as the Okinawan dish chanpuru and the Indonesian / Malay word campur (both mean "mix"). In Korea, jjambbong (짬뽕) is a slang which means mix-up. Another theory is that it originated from a Chinese Hokkien word Jiag Pong (吃飯), which literally means eat food.

Korean champon

Jjamppong, Korean style champon

Korean dish called jjambbong (짬뽕) tends to be the most spicy.

In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, many Chinese emigrated to Japan and Korea. There was a regular sea route between Nagasaki and Jemulpo via Busan. Many of the Chinese immigrants opened restaurants and created new versions of their home food. In Korea, it became spicier by using red pepper, chili oil, and doubanjiang (Chinese red pepper paste). Today, it is a popular Koreanized Chinese dish that is common in Korea and even in Korean neighbourhoods around the world.