本文將「拉麵」這項文化商品的消費與生產的發展史作為例，以商品、生產及消費之間的關係為相互作用的循環，而且當消費者最低限度的生理需求已得到滿足的條件下，消費者並非僅憑商品本身的物理特性得到滿足，還得加上商品被文化等因素賦予的抽象特性才能獲得滿足，這個觀點為切入點，分析在不同年代的日本社會，拉麵的文化意義（cultural meaning）會產生轉變是受哪些因素影響；過程中，拉麵的物理特性—組成拉麵的三大要素：麵、湯頭、配料，是如何受拉麵的文化意義影響而轉變；拉麵的生產與消費又是如何與前述兩者產生交互作用，並因此在樣態上有所不同。我們將日本拉麵的發展史劃分為以下三個階段探討：二戰前、二戰後直至1970年代、1980 年代至2000 年代。最初，拉麵的前身在意義與口味上，還只是一個便宜、果腹用的異國商品，其後，為符合日本消費者喜好，其元素經歷了日本化。在二戰甫結束的時期，是在黑市販賣的便宜商品，但是，隨着1950 至1970 年代經濟高速成長，成了因都市化與工業化而興起的勞工階層和男性上班族的主食，甚至成為一個創業選擇。1980 年代在大眾媒體影響下變為一種娛樂消遣，形成拉麵旅遊風潮，帶動地方經濟，1990 年代在網路普及和B 級美食運動的影響下，昇華為藝術品、國民美食。

This paper considers the consumption, circulation, and production of ramen not as separate and independent spheres but as the objectification in material terms of the cultural meaning of ramen in Japan. We argue that the history of Japanese ramen as a cultural good should be seen as a cultural process in which the cultural meaning governs the production, circulation, and consumption of ramen in each stage of the process in the sense that the production, circulation, and consumption of ramen objectify the cultural meaning of ramen. The phenomenal result of objectification can be seen in the form and character of ramen, and the way ramen is produced, circulated, and consumed. It follows that when the cultural meaning of ramen changes, there would be corresponding changes in the ingredients of ramen, the form and character of ramen restaurants, and consumers’ social profiles, which together constitute the historical path of ramen in Japan. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of ramen’s history, which started as an ethnic food and ended up as a national cuisine.