Noodle

The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking. The word derives from the German Nudel (noodle).^[1]

History

In 2002, archaeologists found an earthenware bowl containing world's oldest known noodles, roughly 4000 years old, at the Lajia archaeological site of the Qijia culture along the Yellow River in China.^[2][3][4] The noodles were well-preserved.^[2][3] After research with parts of the noodle remains in 2004,^[3] scientists have determined that the noodles have been made from foxtail millet and broomcorn millet.^[2][3][4] The findings were published in October 2005 by Houyuan Lu et al. in the journal Nature.^[5] The earliest written record of noodles is from a book dated to the Eastern Han Dynasty period (25–220).^[2] Noodles, often made from wheat dough, became a prominent staple food by the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE).^[6]

Types of noodles by primary ingredient

Types of noodle dishes

• 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.
• Frozen 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, chicken noodle soup, ramen, laksa, saimin, and batchoy.
• Noodle casseroles: lasagna, kugel, tuna casserole, baked ziti, timballo, and pastitsio
• Cup noodles
• Instant noodles

See also

References

1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "noodle". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=noodle. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Roach, John. "4,000-Year-Old Noodles Found in China". National Geographic. pp. 1-2. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1012_051012_chinese_noodles.html. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Ye, Maolin; Lu, Houyuan. "The earliest Chinese noodles from Lajia". The Institute of Archaeology. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. http://www.kaogu.cn/en/detail.asp?ProductID=986. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Oldest noodles unearthed in China", BBC News, 12 October 2005
5. ^ Lu, Houyuan; Yang, Xiaoyan, Ye, Maolin, Liu, Kam-Biu, Xia, Zhengkai, Ren, Xiaoyan, Cai, Linhai, Wu, Naiqin, Liu, Tung-Sheng (13 October 2005). "Culinary archaeology: Millet noodles in Late Neolithic China". Nature 437 (7061): 967–968. doi:10.1038/437967a. 
6. ^ Sinclair, Thomas R.; Sinclair, Carol Janas (2010). Bread, beer, and the seeds of change: Agriculture's imprint on world history. Wallingford: CABI. p. 91. ISBN 9781845937041.