Dear Foodie Fam,
Noodles. They’re all over the world. You can find them in cheap and in expensive dishes. They are such dependable, tasty friends, but do we know anything about their past?
More Chinese Noodle History:
I found Chinese noodle history fascinating!
Noodles are mentioned in a venerable old ode by poet Shu Shi from around 300 BCE. One can speculate that noodles must have been a staple of the Chinese home at that time because poetry at that time was used to enshrine cultural topics.
Noodles were a staple of Chinese culture by the Han Dynasty (), which began in early 200AD. It was commonly seen as sheets or strips and was referred to as cake (). With time, wheat, rice, and occasionally mung bean starch were used to make Chinese noodles. Noodles were available in shops in all major Chinese cities by the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), and thanks to Chinese influence, they also became popular in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and other nations.
This type of noodle was produced during the Han Dynasty and was particularly prized for the artistic way in which the dough was stretched lengthwise between both hands and folded over and over into a thin form. The 4,000 year old noodles discovered in Lajia are said to look like l miàn noodles, meaning they are the ancestor of ramen. Long noodles, also known as longevity noodles or cháng shu miàn, are still regarded as a symbol of long life in Chinese culture.
Pulling LaMian 拉麵 noodles! SOURCE: Kenneth Chan. [email protected]
Even today, noodle festivals, events, and celebrations in Asia are very important. Chinese newlyweds eat noodles with gravy () when they move into their first home as a sign of a “flavored life.” Chinese people eat noodles with dragon whiskers on the lunar new year, which they refer to as “dragon head” ().
Here are some examples of how stories about noodles have helped communities grow:
On sunny days, villagers in Panzhoujia Village, Jinhua City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, typically eat dry noodles. SOURCE: Chinapic. people. com. cn.
德兴馆 (De Xing Guan) : A Shanghai noodle shop chain. The original, which is in Shanghai, debuted in 1878 and is said to have had connections to Emperor Qianlong.
One of my trip’s most fascinating experiences was that. I had to take a tour guide who was essentially a government minder when I was in Iran. We came across a cooking school for women only, and the women running it invited me inside to learn how to prepare Persian dishes with them, so I was able to get away from him. Women were permitted to dress however they pleased and freely discuss the restrictions that the Islamic government had placed on their lives because the school was located in a private home. Aside from discovering some delicious Persian rice dishes (and a few noodle dishes that weren’t quite right), I discovered that many Iranian women are strong and career-oriented despite having to deal with many daily annoyances like wearing the hejab and being unable to freely interact with men, even in private.
The invention of the noodle is credited to both the Chinese and the Italians. According to your research, where did noodles come from?.
All I can say is that I’ve condensed my favorite recipes into a dozen or so in my book, which includes dumpling and noodle dishes from China to Italy as well as a few accoutrements like Turkish rose borek (phyllo dough stuffed with leeks, feta, and honey) and Persian braises like fesenjun (chicken simmered in walnut and pomegranate sauce). To narrow them down any further would be too torturous.
Noodles are mentioned for the first time in history in a dictionary from the third century A. D. in China. However, the earliest Chinese noodles didn’t look like strands of dough; instead, they were made from tiny bits of bread dough and dropped into a wok of boiling water. Mian pian, a type of that noodle, is still consumed in China. This was one of the most fascinating pieces of research I came across: bread, which is still consumed widely in northern China, is actually where Chinese noodles first appeared. MORE FROM ASIA SOCIETY.
When I asked an Italian woman to name her favorite dish, she objected and said, “That’s like making me choose my favorite family member!” Your question makes me think of what she said.
FAQ
How were noodles invented in ancient China?
They would cut the dough into small pieces, roll them into strips, dry them, and roast them over fire before eating. Therefore, these Arab traders created the earliest form of noodles. The noodles they produced made their way to the Chinese mainland along the Silk Road, where they took off in the Central Plains of China.
Who invented the noodle first?
Noodles or pasta are mentioned for the first time in writing in Chinese texts from about 3200 years ago. It is likely that pasta originated in China and the Middle East within a few hundred years ago, according to author Jen Lin-Liu.
Are noodles a Chinese invention?
According to Lin-Liu, author of the book On the Noodle Road, “through my research and the journey itself, I was able to establish that the earliest documentation of noodles was in China and it probably came around the third century [300-200 BC].”
What are noodles made from ancient China?
Noodles were a staple of Chinese culture by the Han Dynasty (), which began in early 200AD. It was commonly seen as sheets or strips and was referred to as cake (). With time, wheat, rice, and occasionally mung bean starch were used to make Chinese noodles.
