I am a big fan of noodles, and make a noodle dish at least once every week. But my noodle mania is newfound — it began a year back after I found that my local supermarket stocked different types of noodle. Made from rice, wheat or egg, these come in various shapes (thin, thick, flat) and can be used in a number of Asian and Southeast Asian dishes. These are noodles that are quick to cook and, when paired with vegetables and meat, make for a healthy meal.
Noodles have been a staple food in many parts of the world for centuries now, though whether the modern stringy version was first invented by the Chinese, Italians, or Arabs is unclear. The earliest record appears in a book written between AD 25 and 220 in China. But another theory suggests that noodles were first made in the Middle East and introduced in Italy by the Arabs. The name ‘noodle’ however, finds its roots in German.
Wherever they originated, noodles remain hugely popular for many reasons. They are economical yet nutritious and filling; quick and easy to prepare, and versatile as they can be eaten hot or cold. To top it all they can be stored for years and can be transported easily.
The noodle can be made from a variety of doughs and shaped according to choice — long thin ribbons, strips, waves, helices, pipes, tubes or strings. Popularly, what most of us refer to noodles are Chinese noodles that are usually long and stringy. Irrespective of the shape, 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.
While in many Asian countries fresh noodles are prepared and eaten, the popularity of instant noodles
outstrips them. According to data collected by the World Instant Noodles Association till 2010, approximately 95 billion servings of instant noodles were eaten worldwide every year!
While I was a kid there were two brands of instant noodles available in the market. I was nuts about the less popular variety — Top Ramen. At the time I was under the mistaken impression that the Ramen in the name was an Indian one. I was later appraised that ramen, in fact, was a type of noodle dish, popular in Japan. It contains wheat noodles served in a meat or fish-based soup, sometimes flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses both meat and vegetable toppings, like pork, dried seaweed or green onions and occasionally corn.
However, the curried noodles I was fond of were more akin to the Korean version of the ramen called ramyeon, which is usually a form of instant noodles. It is hot and spicy since its soup is usually flavoured with chili peppers (just like mine!). There are many varieties of Korean ramyeon, with local flavours such as kimchi, seafood and beef livening up the meal.
But instant noodles are a recent invention of a food that has existed for centuries. Till 2005, it was believed that this food form was 2,000 years old. But that year the date was pushed back a few centuries further when archeologists found a 4,000-year-old pot of thin yellow noodles in China’s Yellow river silt. This suggested that people were eating noodles at least 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. The scientists also found that the noodles discovered were made from two kinds of millet (broomcorn and foxtail) that were found in China and widely cultivated there 7,000 years ago. This is unlike modern Western noodles, like spaghetti, which is usually made from wheat. This discovery made the likelihood of noodles being a Chinese invention
much stronger.
For a food item this old and popular the world over, it is no wonder that every cuisine has adapted it to its own local taste. For example, the noodle dishes prepared in India will be vastly different from those served in China or Malaysia, even as the latter two would be in contrast to each other. Whatever the flavours and ingredients, more often than not, it will be a tasty dish — such is the adaptability of the versatile noodle!