It’s a sad day for instant noodle lovers in Indonesia and all around the world as we mourn the passing of Nunuk Nuraini, the inventor of Indomie’s various flavors. She was 59 years old.
News of her death was announced by Indofood, the company behind the beloved instant noodles.
“Ibu Hajjah Nunuk Nuraini passed away [yesterday] and returned peacefully to Allah,” Indofood spokeswoman Nurlita Novi Arlaida said, without specifying her cause of death.
Nunuk, a graduate of Padjadjaran University’s (Unpad) food technology department in Bandung, West Java, worked as a flavor development manager at Indofood’s instant noodle division for nearly 30 years. Several of her tasty creations for Indomie include Indonesian traditional flavors such as soto, rendang, chicken curry, and sambal matah, as well as the OG mie goreng (fried noodles).
It’s only apt to say that Indomie’s mie goreng is a source of pride for any Indonesian, with an irreplaceable flavor that always satisfies our noodle-loving hearts. Indomie is also known and enjoyed by people in more than 80 countries around the world, such as Nigeria — where it has become a household name — as well as Australia and the US, to name a few.
Back in November 2019, Los Angeles Times named Indomie’s barbeque chicken flavor as the best noodle in its “official instant ramen power rankings,” while the OG mie goreng was placed 10th.
In 2017, Nunuk enjoyed some deserved positive media exposure after West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil hailed her as the “hero for the kos (boarding house) kids,” in his Instagram post, as the instant noodle is a popular, tasty, and affordable meal for students.
Indonesians have since taken to social media to express their grief and gratitude to Nunuk.
innalilahi wainnailahi raji’un. terimakasih atas rasa indomie yang bgtu nikmat, semoga setiap suapan bagi siapapun yg memakan mienya atas rasa syukurnya, menjadi pahala buat ibu. semoga amalan dan serta ibadah di terima dan di tempatkan di tempat yg indah di sisi-Nya, amiin
— 🐺 яєк (@ubnormalz) January 27, 2021
“Thank you for the delicious taste of Indomie, I hope that every bite of anyone who eats the noodles with their gratitude will be a reward for Ibu. I hope your good deed and prayers will be accepted and placed in a beautiful place by His side,” the tweet above reads.
we just lost Mrs. Nunuk Nuraini, the genius flavor developer of people’s beloved instant noodles ‘Indomie’ today. may her soul rest in love and her legacies will definitely forever live on. you are truly a legend for indonesians. pic.twitter.com/IDn8M682a2
— gustirapi (@gustirapi) January 27, 2021
We’ll be eating mie goreng today in Nunuk’s honor. May she rest in peace.
