Noodle

Misua noodle making in Lukang, Taiwan

A noodle is a type of food with a thin and elongated shape made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. Depending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking. The word derives from the German Nudel (noodle)^[1] and may be related to the Latin word nodus (knot).

The oldest known noodles were found in China at the Qijia culture Lajia site in Qinghai, Shandong province. The 4,000-year-old noodles appear to have been made from foxtail millet and broomcorn millet^[2][3]

Types of noodles by primary ingredient

Wide, uncooked egg noodles.

Wheat

• Chūka men (中華麺): Japanese for "Chinese noodles", used for ramen, chanpon and yakisoba
• Kalguksu (칼국수) : knife-cut Korean noodles
• Lamian (拉麵): hand-pulled Chinese noodles
• Mee pok (麪薄): flat, yellow Chinese noodles, popular in Southeast Asia
• Nokedli: Hungarian noodles
• Pasta: approximately 350 variants used in Italian cuisine
• Sōmen (そうめん): very thin Japanese wheat noodles
• Spätzle: a Swabian type of noodle made of wheat and eggs
• Tészta: various types of Hungarian noodles
• Udon (うどん): thick Japanese wheat noodles
• Erişte: flat, yellow or reddish brown Turkish wheat noodles

Rice

Idiyappam, Indian rice noodles.

• Flat or thick rice noodles, also known as hé fěn or ho fun (河粉), kway teow or sen yai (เส้นใหญ่)
• Rice vermicelli: thin rice noodles, also known as mǐfěn (米粉) or bee hoon or sen mee (เส้นหมี่)
• Idiyappam is an Indian rice noodle.

Mung bean

• Cellophane noodles, also known as glass noodles, sweet potato vermicelli or bean vermicelli. fěnsī (粉絲) in Chinese, harusame (春雨) in Japanese, Dangmyeon (당면) in Korean, soun or suun in Indonesian, wun sen (วุ้นเส้น) in Thai. These are the principal ingredient in the Korean dish japchae.

Potato or canna starch

• Cellophane noodles can also be made from potato starch or canna starch or various starches of the same genre.

Buckwheat

• Makguksu (막국수), local specialty of Gangwon Province in South Korea
• Naengmyeon (냉면): Korean noodles made of buckwheat and sweet potato starch. Slightly more chewy than soba.
• Soba (蕎麦): Japanese buckwheat noodles
• Pizzoccheri: Italian buckwheat noodles from Valtellina, usually served with a melted cheese sauce

Acorn

• Acorn noodles, also known as dotori guksu (도토리국수) in Korean, are made of acorn meal, wheat flour, wheat germ and salt.

Types of noodle dishes

A simple noodle soup consisting of Soy sauce and Sesame oil.

• Basic noodles: These are cooked in water or broth, then drained. Other foods can be added (for example a pasta sauce) or the noodles are added to other foods (see fried noodles) or the noodles can be served plain with a dipping sauce or oil to be added at the table. In general, noodles are soft and absorb flavors.
• Chilled noodles: noodles are sometimes served in a salad. An example is the Thai glass noodle salad.
• Fried noodles: dishes made of noodles stir fried with various meats, seafood, vegetables, and dairy products. Typical examples include chow mein, lo mein, mee goreng, hokkien mee, some varieties of pancit, yakisoba and pad thai.
• Noodle soup: noodles served in broth. Examples are phở, beef noodle soup, ramen, laksa, saimin and batchoy, and chicken noodle soup.
• Noodle casseroles: lasagna, kugel, tuna casserole, baked ziti, timballo, and pastitsio

See also

References

1. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "noodle". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=noodle. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
2. ↑ "Oldest noodles unearthed in China", BBC News, 12 October 2005
3. ↑ Food reference