Noodles are a type of food made from

unleavened dough In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...

which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noodles are those derived from either

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from Greater China, China, as well as from Overseas Chinese, Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and the historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine ...

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...

Chinese noodles Chinese noodles vary widely according to the region of production, ingredients, shape or width, and manner of preparation. Noodles were invented in China, and are an essential ingredient and Staple food, staple in Chinese cuisine. They are an im ...

are known by a variety of different names, while Italian noodles are known as

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

. While long, thin strips may be the most common, many varieties of noodles are cut into waves, helices, tubes, strings, or shells, or folded over, or cut into other shapes. Noodles are usually cooked in boiling water, sometimes with cooking oil or salt added. They can also be steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, or baked. Noodles are often served with an accompanying sauce or in a soup, the latter being known as

noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...

. Noodles can be refrigerated for short-term storage or dried and stored for future use.

Etymology

The word for noodles in English was borrowed in the 18th century from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

word ' (). The German word likely came from or , and referred to any dumpling, though mostly of wheat. Colloquial uses for noodle to refer to someone's head, or to a "dummy" are unrelated, and likely came from the older English word ''noddle.''

History

Origin

The earliest written record of noodles is found in a book dated to the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

period (25–220 CE). Noodles made from wheat dough became a prominent food for the people of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. The oldest evidence of noodles was from 4,000 years ago in China. In 2005, a team of archaeologists reported finding an earthenware bowl that contained 4,000-year-old noodles at the Lajia archaeological site, made by the

Qijia culture The Qijia culture (2400 BC – 1600 BC) was an early Bronze Age culture distributed around the upper Yellow River region of Gansu (centered in Lanzhou) and eastern Qinghai, China. It is regarded as one of the earliest bronze cultures in China. ...

. These noodles were said to resemble

lamian Lamian (; "pulled noodles") is a type of soft wheat flour Chinese noodles, Chinese noodle that is particularly common in Northern and southern China, northern China. Lamian is made by twisting, stretching and folding the dough into strands, u ...

, a type of Chinese noodle. Analyzing the husk

phytolith Phytoliths (from Greek language, Greek, "plant stone") are rigid, microscopic mineral deposits found in some plant tissues, often persisting after the decay of the plant. Although some use "phytolith" to refer to all mineral secretions by plants, ...

s and

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

grains present in the sediment associated with the noodles, they were identified as millet belonging to ''

Panicum miliaceum ''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first domesticated a ...

'' and ''

Setaria italica Foxtail millet, scientific name ''Setaria italica'' (synonym ''Panicum italicum'' L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet, and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidenc ...

''. However, other researchers cast doubt that Lajia's noodles were made from specifically millet: it is difficult to make pure millet noodles, it is unclear whether the analyzed residue were directly derived from Lajia's noodles themselves, starch morphology after cooking shows distinctive alterations that does not fit with Lajia's noodles, and it is uncertain whether the starch-like grains from Laijia's noodles are starch as they show some non-starch characteristics. The general consensus among food historians is that pasta originated somewhere in the Mediterranean region: a homogenous mixture of flour and water called ''itrion'' was described by 2nd-century Greek physician

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...

, among 3rd to 5th-century Jews ''itrium'' was described by the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

and ''itriyya'' (Arabic cognate of the Greek word), referred to string-like shapes made of

semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

and dried before cooking - as defined by the 9th-century physician and lexicographer

Isho bar Ali Ishoʿ bar ʿAli ( late 9th century AD), known in Arabic as ʿĪsā (or Yashūʿ) ibn ʿAlī, was a Syriac author and physician. A student of Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq and a member of the Church of the East, he served as the personal physician to the ...

Historical variations

East Asia

There are over 1,200 types of noodles commonly consumed in China today. They vary widely according to the region of production, ingredients, shape or width, and manner of preparation. Due to the vast diversity of Chinese noodles, there is no single Chinese word equivalent to the Western concept of "noodles," nor is the notion of "noodles" as a unified food category recognized within

. In

Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ( zh, s=现代标准汉语, t=現代標準漢語, p=Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ, l=modern standard Han speech) is a modern Standard language, standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the Republic of ...

, ''miàn'' (simplified Chinese: 面; traditional Chinese: 麵) means "dough" but can be used to refer to noodles made from wheat flour and grains such as millet, sorghum, and oats. While ''fěn'' (粉) means "powder" but can be used to refer to noodles made from other starches, particularly rice flour and

mung bean The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...

starch. Wheat noodles in Japan (''

udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as with a mild broth called made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usual ...

'') were adapted from a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

recipe as early as the 9th century. Innovations continued, such as noodles made with

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

(''

naengmyeon ''Naengmyeon'' * (, in South Korea) or ''raengmyŏn'' (, in North Korea) is a noodle dish of North Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including most commonly bu ...

'') were developed in the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Dynasty of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

(1392–1897).

Ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

noodles, based on southern Chinese noodle dishes from

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

but named after the northern Chinese

, became common in Japan by 1900.

Central Asia

Kesme Kesme or erişte is a type of egg noodle found in various Central Asian countries. It is also found in Turkish cuisine and is called ''erişte'' and “kesme” in modern standard Turkish. The word itself is a nominalisation of the verb ''to c ...

or erişte noodles were eaten by

Turkic peoples Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...

by the 13th century.

West Asia

Ash reshteh ''Ash reshteh'' or a''sh-e-reshteh'' () is a type of ''āsh'' (Iranian thick soup) featuring reshteh (thin noodles), kidney beans, chick peas, herbs, and kashk (a sour dairy product, made from cooked or dried yogurt) commonly made in Iran. Hot, f ...

(noodles in thick soup with herbs) is one of the most popular dishes in some middle eastern countries such as Iran.

Europe

In the 1st century

BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the o ...

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

wrote of fried sheets of dough called '' lagana''. However, the cooking method does not correspond to the current definition of either a fresh or dry

product.

Italy

The first concrete information on

products in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

dates back to the

Etruscan civilization The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...

, the

Testaroli ''Testaroli'', sometimes referred to as ''testarolo'', is a type of thin spongy pasta or bread in Italian cuisine that is prepared in circular sheets using water, flour, and salt, which is then sliced into diamond or rectangular shapes. A commo ...

. The first noodles will only appear much later, in the 10th or 11th centuries, and there is a popular legend about

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

bringing the first pasta back from China. Modern historians do not give much credibility to the story and rather believe the first noodles were imported earlier from the Arabs, in a form called ''rishta''. Pasta has taken on a variety of shapes, often based on regional specializations.

Germany

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, documents dating from 1725 mention ''

Spätzle Spätzle (), Spätzla or Spatzen, called ''nokedli'' () in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg pasta typically served as a side for meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated with Swabia (hence Swabian spaetzle) and Alsace, it is als ...

''.

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

illustrations are believed to place this noodle at an even earlier date.

Armenia

An Armenian variety of noodle, Arishta, is prepared from wheat, water and salt. It is thick and is usually eaten with

matzoon Matzoon (, ''matsun'', or ) or matsoni ( ka, მაწონი, ''mats'oni'') is a fermented milk product of Armenian origin found in Armenia and Georgia. The Caspian Sea yogurt commercialized in Japan is said to be the same type of yogurt as ...

, clarified butter and garlic.

Ancient Israel and diaspora

The Latinized word ''itrium'' referred to a kind of boiled dough. Arabs adapted noodles for long journeys in the fifth century, the first written record of dry

Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

wrote in 1154 that ''itriyya'' was manufactured and exported from

Norman Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of ...

. ''Itriyya'' was also known by the

Persian Jews Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the History of ancient Israel and Judah, biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (his ...

during early Persian rule (when they spoke

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

) and during Islamic rule. It referred to a small soup noodle, of Greek origin, prepared by twisting bits of kneaded dough into shape, resembling Italian

orzo Orzo (, ; ; from Latin ), also known in Italy as (; 'large rains ofrice'), and popular in Greek cuisine as ''kritharaki'' (κριθαράκι), is a form of short-cut pasta shaped like a large grain of rice. Orzo is traditionally made from fl ...

=Polish Jews

= ''Zacierki'' is a type of noodle found in Polish Jewish cuisine. It was part of the rations distributed to Jewish victims in the

Łódź Ghetto The Łódź Ghetto or Litzmannstadt Ghetto (after the Nazi German name for Łódź) was a Nazi ghetto established by the German authorities for Polish Jews and Roma following the Invasion of Poland. It was the second-largest ghetto in all of ...

by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. (Out of the "major ghettos", Łódź was the most affected by hunger, starvation and malnutrition-related deaths.) The diary of a young Jewish girl from Łódź recounts a fight she had with her father over a spoonful of ''zacierki'' taken from the family's meager supply of 200 grams a week.

Types by primary ingredient

Wheat

*'' Arishta'': Armenian thick noodles made from wheat, salt and water combined into stiff dough. *''

Bakmi ''Bakmi'' ( and ) or ''bami'' (, , , ) are a type of wheat-based noodles derived from Chinese cooking tradition. They were brought to Indonesia by Chinese immigrants from southern Chinese provinces like Fujian. They are typically seasoned wi ...

'': Indonesian Chinese yellow wheat noodles with egg and meat, usually pork. The Chinese word bak (肉), which means "meat" (or more specifically pork), is the vernacular pronunciation in Hokkien, but not in Teochew (which pronounced it as nek), suggesting an original Hokkien root. Mi derives from miàn. In Chinese, miàn (simplified Chinese: 面; traditional Chinese: 麵; often transliterated as "mien" or "mein") refers to noodles made from wheat. * ''Chūka men'' (中華麺):

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

for "Chinese noodles", used for ramen,

champon , also known as ''Chanpon'', is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. There are different versions in Japan, Korea and China. The dish was inspired by Chinese cuisine. ''Champon'' is made by frying pork, seafood and ve ...

, and

yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...

*''

'': flat, yellow or reddish brown

Central Asian Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

wheat noodles *''

Kalguksu ''Kal-guksu'' * () is a Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade, knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with broth and other ingredients. It is traditionally considered a seasonal food, consumed most often in summer. Its name ...

'' (칼국수): knife-cut Korean noodles *''

Lamian Lamian (; "pulled noodles") is a type of soft wheat flour Chinese noodles, Chinese noodle that is particularly common in Northern and southern China, northern China. Lamian is made by twisting, stretching and folding the dough into strands, u ...

'' (拉麵): hand-pulled Chinese noodles *''

Mee pok ''Mee pok'' is a Chinese noodle characterized by its flat and yellow appearance, varying in thickness and width. The dish is of Teochew people, Chaoshan origin and is commonly served in the Chaoshan region of China and countries with a signific ...

'' (麪薄): flat, yellow

, common in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

*''

Long Pasta There are many different varieties of pasta. They are usually sorted by size, being long (), short (), stuffed (), cooked in broth (), stretched () or in dumpling-like form (). Yet, due to the variety of shapes and regional variants, "one man's ...

'': Italian noodles typically made from durum wheat (semolina) *''

Reshte Kesme or erişte is a type of egg noodle found in various Central Asian countries. It is also found in Turkish cuisine and is called ''erişte'' and “kesme” in modern standard Turkish. The word itself is a nominalisation of the verb ''to c ...

'':

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n, flat noodle, very pale in colour (almost white) used in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and Afghani cuisine *''

Sōmen , ''somyeon'' (), or ''sùmiàn'' () is a very thin noodle made of wheat flour, less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The noodles are used extensively in East Asian cuisines. Japanese ''sōmen'' is made by stretching the dough with vegetable oil, ...

'' (そうめん): thin variety of Japanese wheat noodles, often coated with vegetable oil *''

Thukpa Thukpa ( Tibetan: ཐུག་པ; IPA: /tʰu(k̚)ˀ˥˥.pə˥˥/ ) is a Tibetan noodle soup, which originated in the eastern part of Tibet. ''Amdo thukpa'', especially '' thenthuk'', is a variant among the Indians, especially Ladakhis and the ...

'' (): flat Tibetan noodles *''

Udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as with a mild broth called made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usual ...

'' (うどん): thicker variety of Japanese wheat noodles *''Kishimen'' (きしめん): flat variety of Japanese wheat noodles

Rice

*'' Bánh phở'' (餅𬖾), thick fresh rice noodle used in popular Vietnamese

phở Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat – usually beef (), and sometimes chicken (). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street-stalls, and ...

noodles soup *Flat or thick rice noodles, also known as '' hé fěn'' or ''ho fun'' (河粉), ''kway teow'' (粿條) or ''sen yai'' (เส้นใหญ่) *

Rice vermicelli Rice vermicelli is a thin form of rice noodle. It is sometimes referred to as "rice noodles" or "rice sticks", but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch r ...

: thin

rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...

, also known as ''mǐfěn'' (米粉) or ''bee hoon'' or ''sen mee'' (เส้นหมี่) or "bún" *''

Sevai Sevai (), also called shavige, semiya, (), saemia () and santhakai (), is a type of rice vermicelli dish popular in India. While typically made from rice, varieties made from other food grains like wheat, ''ragi'', and others can also be foun ...

'', a variant of rice vermicelli common in South India *''

Idiyappam Idiyappam, also known as indiappa, noolappam, noolputtu, santhagai, or ottu shavige, is a Sevai, string hopper dish originating from southern India. It consists of rice flour pressed into noodles, laid into a flat Disk (mathematics), disc-like ...

'' is an Indian rice noodle *'' Mixian'' and '' migan'' noodles of southwest China *''

Khanom chin ''Khanom chin'' or ''Khanom jeen'' (, ; , ; , ) are fresh, thin white rice noodles in Thai cuisine which are made from rice sometimes fermented for three days, boiled, and then made into noodles by extruding the resulting dough through a sieve ...

'' is a fermented rice noodle used in

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...

Buckwheat

*''

Makguksu ''Mak-guksu'' * () or buckwheat noodles is a Korean buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled broth and sometimes with sugar, mustard, sesame oil or vinegar. It is a local specialty of the Gangwon Province, South Korea and that province's capit ...

'' (막국수): local specialty of Gangwon Province in South Korea *''Memil

'' (메밀 냉면):

n noodles made of

, slightly more chewy than soba *''

Soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sau ...

'' (蕎麦): Japanese buckwheat noodles *''

Pizzoccheri ''Pizzoccheri'' (; , ) is a flat ribbon pasta, made with a blend of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. It is believed to have originated in Valtellina, a valley in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is also popular in Val Poschiavo, a ...

'': Italian buckwheat ''

tagliatelle Tagliatelle (; from the Italian word , meaning 'to cut') are a traditional type of pasta from the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and ...

'' from Valtellina, usually served with a melted cheese sauce

Egg

Egg noodles are made of a mixture of egg and flour. *''

Youmian Ximian () are a variety of Chinese noodle widely used in Southern China, especially in the cuisines of Hong Kong and Guangdong. It has also been selectively used in the dishes of Shanghai, Malaysia, and Singapore. Youmian is also used in some d ...

'' or ''thin noodles'': Asian egg noodles common throughout China and

*''

Lokshen Lokshen (, ), also known as (), locshen, lockshen, or Jewish egg noodles, is the common name of a range of Ashkenazi Jewish egg noodles that are commonly used in a variety of Jewish dishes including chicken soup, kugel, kasha varnishkes, lokshen ...

'': wide egg noodles used in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

Jewish cuisine Jewish cuisine refers to the worldwide cooking traditions of the Jewish people. During its evolution over the course of many centuries, it has been shaped by Jewish dietary laws (''kashrut''), Jewish festivals and holidays, and traditions cen ...

*''

'' or ''erişte'': Turkic egg noodles *''

'': Egg noodle generally associated with the southern German states of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

*Certain egg-based

long pasta There are many different varieties of pasta. They are usually sorted by size, being long (), short (), stuffed (), cooked in broth (), stretched () or in dumpling-like form (). Yet, due to the variety of shapes and regional variants, "one man's ...

, such as ''

Tagliatelle Tagliatelle (; from the Italian word , meaning 'to cut') are a traditional type of pasta from the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and ...

'', ''

Fettuccine Fettuccine is a type of pasta popular in Roman cuisine. It is descended from the extremely thin of the Renaissance, but is a flat, thick pasta traditionally made of egg and flour (usually one egg for every of flour). At about , it is wider an ...

'', and ''

Pappardelle Pappardelle (; : pappardella; from the verb , meaning 'to gobble up') are large, very broad, flat pasta, similar to wide fettuccine, originating from the Tuscany region of Italy. The fresh types are two to three centimetres (–1 inches) w ...

Others

* Acorn noodles, also known as ''dotori guksu'' (도토리국수) in Korean, are made of

acorn The acorn is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...

meal, wheat flour,

wheat germ The germ of a cereal grain is the part that develops into a plant; it is the seed embryo. Along with bran, germ is often a by-product of the milling that produces refined grain products. Cereal grains and their components, such as wheat germ ...

, and salt. *''Olchaeng-i guksu'', meaning ''tadpole noodles'', are made of

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

soup put through a noodle maker right into cold water. It was named for its features. These

Korean noodles Korean noodles are noodles or noodle dishes in Korean cuisine, and are collectively referred to as ''guksu'' in Korean language, native Korean or ''myeon'' in hanja character. The earliest noodles in Asia originate from China, and date back 4,000 ...

are mostly eaten in Gangwon-do. *

Cellophane noodles Glass noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called cellophane noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna (plant), canna starch) and water. They originated ...

are made from

. These can also be made from

potato starch Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. Th ...

, canna starch or various starches of the same genre. *''Chilk naengmyeon'' (칡 냉면):

made of starch from kudzu root, known as

kuzuko Kudzu powder, called ''géfěn'' () in Chinese, ''kuzuko'' (; ) in Japanese, ''chik-garu'' () or ''galbun'' () in Korean, and ''bột sắn dây'' in Vietnamese is a starch powder made from the root of the kudzu plant. It is used in traditional ...

in Japanese, chewy and semitransparent. * ''Shirataki'' noodles (しらたき): Japanese noodles made of konjac (devil's tongue). * Kelp noodles, made from seaweed. *''Mie jagung'',

Indonesian noodles Indonesian noodles are a significant aspect of Indonesian cuisine which is itself very diverse. Indonesian cuisine recognizes many types of noodles, with each region of the country often developing its own distinct recipes. History Chinese in ...

made from

starch. *''Mie sagu'',

made from sagu. *''Mie singkong'' or ''mie mocaf'',

made from cassava. File:Pasta 2006 5.jpg, Egg pasta File:Pasta 2006 6.jpg, Fresh pasta File:Pasta 2006 1.jpg, Long pasta File:Idiyappam with Egg Masala Curry.jpg,

, Indian rice noodles File:Mixian Rice Noodles Being Prepared in Copper Pots.jpg, Mixian (米线) rice noodles being cooked in copper pots (铜锅), China File:Egg noodles.JPG, Wide, uncooked egg noodles File:Noodle.jpg, Some different types of noodles commonly found in Southeast Asia

Types of dishes

*Baked noodles: Boiled and drained noodles are combined with other ingredients and

baked Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is gradually t ...

. Common examples include many

casserole A casserole (French language, French: diminutive of , from Provençal dialect, Provençal , meaning 'saucepan') is a kind of large, deep cookware and bakeware, pan or bowl used for cooking a variety of dishes in the oven; it is also a categor ...

s. *Basic noodles: These are cooked in water or broth, then drained. Other foods can be added or the noodles are added to other foods (see

fried noodles Fried noodles are common throughout East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Many varieties, cooking styles, and ingredients exist. Fried noodle dishes Stir-fried * Beef chow fun – Cantonese dish of stir-fried beef, flat rice 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 that are served cold, sometimes in a salad. Examples include Thai glass noodle salad and cold

. *

Fried noodles Fried noodles are common throughout East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Many varieties, cooking styles, and ingredients exist. Fried noodle dishes Stir-fried * Beef chow fun – Cantonese dish of stir-fried beef, flat rice noodles, ...

: dishes made of noodles stir fried with various meats, seafood, vegetables, and dairy products. Examples include

chow mein ''Chow mein'' ( and , ; Cantonese Yale: ''cháaumihn'', Pinyin: ''chǎomiàn'') is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of ''chǎomiàn'' were developed in many reg ...

lo mein Lo mein () is a Chinese dish with noodles. When prepared in the Cantonese style, it is often topped with or accompanied by meat (such as char siu or beef brisket), wontons, or vegetables, and may be served with a bowl of broth for dipping. ...

mie goreng Mie goreng (; meaning "fried noodles"), also known as bakmi goreng, is an Indonesian stir-fried noodle dish. It is made with thin yellow noodles stir-fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, beef, or sliced b ...

, hokkien mee, some varieties of

pancit Pancit ( ), also spelled pansit, is a general term referring to various traditional noodle dishes in Filipino cuisine. There are numerous types of pancit, often named based on the noodles used, method of cooking, place of origin or the ingredi ...

tallarín saltado Tallarín saltado is a Peruvian dish that is found in chifa cuisine. The name of the dish comes from the word "stir-fry" (''saltear''), in which the food is fried over high heat in small pieces. To make this dish, some cooked noodles, vegetables ...

, and

pad thai Pad Thai ( or ; , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', ), also spelled phat Thai or phad Thai, is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noodles, shrim ...

. *

Noodle soup Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as ...

: noodles served in broth. Examples include

beef noodle soup Beef noodle soup is a Chinese noodle soup made of stewed or braised beef, beef broth, vegetables and noodles. One of the oldest beef noodle soups is the Lanzhou niuroumian (蘭州牛肉麵), or Lanzhou beef noodle soup, which was created by ...

chicken noodle soup Chicken soup is a soup made from Chicken (food), chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common addition ...

ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

laksa Laksa ( Jawi: ; Chinese: 叻沙) is a spicy noodle dish popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of various types of noodles, most commonly thick rice noodles, with toppings such as chicken, prawns or fish. Most variations of laksa are prepar ...

mie ayam Mie ayam, mi ayam, or bakmi ayam ( Indonesian for 'chicken bakmi', literally 'chicken noodles') is a common Indonesian dish of seasoned yellow wheat noodles topped with diced chicken meat ('' ayam''). It is derived from culinary techniques emp ...

saimin Saimin is a noodle soup dish common in the contemporary cuisine of Hawaii. Traditionally consisting of soft wheat egg noodles served in a hot garnished with diced Scallion, green onions and a thin slice of , modern versions of saimin include ad ...

, and

batchoy Batchoy, alternatively spelled batsoy (), is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. The original and most popular variant, La Paz batchoy, traces its roots to the Iloilo City ...

Preservation

Instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles, which is s ...

Frozen noodles Frozen noodles and chilled noodles are types of instantly prepared Asian (or European) noodles that are sold frozen or chilled. These products differ from prepackaged dehydrated noodles in a number of ways: in flavor, in texture, and in that they ...

References

Bibliography

* * Errington, Frederick et al. eds. ''The Noodle Narratives: The Global Rise of an Industrial Food into the Twenty-First Century'' (U. of California Press; 2013) 216 pages; studies three markets for instant noodles: Japan, the United States, and Papua New Guinea. * * * {{Authority control Ancient dishes Chinese inventions East Asian cuisine Staple foods

Etymology

History

Origin

Historical variations

East Asia

Central Asia

West Asia

Europe

Italy

Germany

Armenia

Ancient Israel and diaspora

=Polish Jews

Types by primary ingredient

Wheat

Rice

Buckwheat

Egg

Others

Types of dishes

Preservation

See also

References

Bibliography