Japan Invented Instant Noodles. Vietnam Eats the Most.

Japan invented instant noodles in 1958, yet it eats 47 servings per person a year. Vietnam eats 81 and South Korea 79. The country famous for a food is rarely the one eating the most of it, and here every ball is stretched by exactly that ratio. Instant noodles: Japan 47, Vietnam 81 servings per person (2024). Tea: Britain 1.94 kg, Turkey 3.16 kg per person (2016). Coffee: Ethiopia, home of arabica, 2.3 kg; Finland about 12 kg per person. Chocolate: Ecuador, where cacao was first used 5,300 years ago, 0.3–0.8 kg; Switzerland 10.6 kg per person (2024). Pasta: Italy 23.3 kg, Tunisia 17 kg per person, the one dish whose home still eats the most. Tomatoes came to Italy from the Americas: first written about there in 1544. How it was made: each eater's width is its amount divided by the other country's, computed from the published figures (World Instant Noodles Association, Chocosuisse, International Pasta Organisation, ICO and national data). Where a source gives a range, the smaller ratio is used. Which food does YOUR country eat more of than anyone? 👇 Map: NASA Blue Marble.