The Evolution of Noodles: A Culinary Journey from 1200 AD to Modern Days

Noodles, revered for their versatility and widespread consumption worldwide, boast a diverse history spanning continents and ages. Evolving from modest beginnings to their current status as a culinary staple, noodles reflect the rich tapestry of culinary customs across various cultures.

In 1138, Idrisi, an esteemed Arab geographer, chronicled the existence of "Triyah," a thread-like foodstuff believed to be an early incarnation of noodles.

Marco Polo's voyages in the 13th century famously introduced pasta to Italy, although historical evidence suggests that pasta, maccheroni, and vermicelli were already familiar fare in Italy prior to Polo's travels.

In the 13th century, German bakers fashioned a precursor to pasta by shaping dough into symbolic forms like swords and stars, which were then baked and served akin to bread.

During Japan's Edo period in the 1600s, somen and soba noodles gained popularity in Tokyo and along Japan's eastern coast. Soba noodles, crafted from buckwheat, particularly gained favor as breakfast items, festival fare, and street food.

In the 1700s, the inaugural production of spaghetti occurred in Napoli, Italy, further diversifying the array of noodle varieties available worldwide.

By the 1800s, Japanese specialty shops began fashioning noodles resembling those savored today, albeit requiring extensive preparation. Noodles, thought to have originated in China circa 5000 BC, subsequently spread to other Asian regions.

Presently, noodles enjoy global acclaim, with approximately 40% of Asia's flour consumption dedicated to their production. Moreover, recent years have witnessed a surge in noodle popularity beyond Asia, signaling their expanding global allure.

The journey of noodles, spanning from ancient origins to their omnipresence today, serves as a testament to human creativity and culinary innovation. Continuously enchanting palates across the globe, noodles undeniably leave an indelible mark on global gastronomy. With their remarkable adaptability and versatility, noodles are poised to endure as a beloved culinary essential for generations to come.
The Evolution of Noodles: A Culinary Journey from 1200 AD to Modern Days

Cooking Noodles

Noodles are a type of pasta that is normally produced from flour, rather than semolina or farina, and noodles contain salt in addition to flour and water.

Noodle products as basic foods are growing with the requirements of modern life. Furthermore, sensory attributes, which are well accepted by consumer, their low cost, ease of cooking and long shelf life compared with other foods have made them popular.

Noodles and noodle products are usually made from common wheat fine flour and generally prepared by a process of sheeting and cutting as opposed to pasta products, which are processed from coarse semolina milled from durum wheat by extrusion.

The appeal of noodle among consumers has made this food product a potential promoter for production of functional foods. Quality factors which are important for instant noodles including color, flavor, and texture, cooking quality, rehydration rates during final preparation, and the presence or absence of rancid taste after extended storage.

During boiling, the starch noodles absorb water, which the internal starch re-gelatinize. The starch noodles begin swelling, slowly becoming soft, elastic, smooth, and transparent after heating. Throughout this processing, small debris and soluble components of starch noodles continuously enter the water due to swelling, constituting the “cooking loss”.

Texture is one of the critical properties in considering quality evaluation of noodles. Elasticity, adhesiveness and firmness are the main parameters that are measured in texture evaluation of noodle. Japanese people consumed noodles with smooth, soft and elastic texture but Chinese and Korea preferred firmer texture.
Cooking Noodles

Japanese and noodles

The use of flour, introduced from China during the Middle Ages (end of the twelfth century to the end of the sixteenth century) took firm root in Japan, making noodles a food with an importance comparable to rice, the staple food of the Japanese diet.

The Japanese-style noodles are made with low-protein flours from soft wheats, and salt whereas the Chinese noodles use higher-protein flours from hard wheat, and are made using a mixture of potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate. Japanese noodles have been developed over the years using domestic wheat, and such products have long been accepted by the Japanese.

The history of noodles in Japan begins with Zen priests represented by Eisai (1141–1215), founder of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, and Dogen (1200–1253), founder of the Soto school of Zen.

Introduced in 1958 by Sanshī Shokuhin of Japan (later renamed the Nissin Foods Corporation), instant noodles quickly became a favorite of the postwar Japanese baby boomer generation.

Clearspring Organic Soba and Udon noodles are satisfying and versatile foods. Noodle process behavior is particularly important in the modem industrial production. Each noodle type has its own unique color and texture characteristics. Flour color, protein content, ash content, yellow pigment and polyphenol oxidase activity are important factors responsible for noodle color.
Japanese and noodles

Gluten in wheat flour

All the pastas are held together by the gluten proteins of wheat flour.  Starch and rice noodles contain no gluten.

Protein content was unchanged from wheat flour to cooked noodles, but gluten protein components changed significantly after mixing and cooking.

Wheat four contains as many as thirty proteins, and two of those – glutenin and gliadin – form gluten when stirred with moisture. These two proteins grab water and connect to form elastic strands of gluten. If flour has a lot of these proteins, it grabs up water faster, making the strong and springy gluten.

Gluten is a tough, elastic grayish substance resembling chewing gum. In is the gluten in flour that, when a dough is kneaded, helps hold in the gas bubbles formed by leavening agent.

About 80 percent of wheat gluten consumed in the United States serves as an input to the baking industry, with some slight year to year variations depending upon the quality of the wheat crop.
Gluten in wheat flour

Variety of noodles

The people of China, Italy and the Middle East have all claimed to have originated this phenomenally popular, string-like food, but it appears that science may have answered the question once and for all.

Noodles are to Asia what pasta is to Italy; the basis of many regional dishes for centuries. There are hundreds of Asian noodle varieties in all manner of shapes, colors, flavors and textures. Noodles are supposed to be served long and uncut, the length of the noodle symbolizing longevity. Noodles are classified as fresh or dried and their preparation varies significantly depending on the type of starch used to produce them.

Dried mung bean vermicelli noodles are sometimes called cellophane, glass or jelly noodles, and are made from the starch of mung beans. They have more of a slippery texture than rice vermicelli and are best used in coconut-based soups or salads. They come bundled together, so use kitchen scissors to separate the dry noodles. Soften in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes for salads or add directly to soups.

Fresh rice noodles, made from ground rice and water, are sold in various thicknesses. Use the thin noodles in soups, the thick noodles in stir-fries and the sheets cut to size. They are best bought fresh off the shelf in Asian grocery stores and used within seven days. Rinse briefly in warm water to separate. Cook for only a few minutes to heat through. Do not refrigerate or purchase these from the fridge section, as they will be impossible to separate.

Dried rice stick noodles are also called pad Thai noodles. These thin, flat translucent noodles are made from ground rice and water. Soak in boiling water until almost tender or 'al dente', drain, then add to stir-fries or soups. These noodles absorb flavors well.

Dried rice vermicelli noodles are almost hair like. These delicate thin noodles are used in soups, salads and stir-fries. Rinse or soak in cold water until soft. Drain. Add to the dish a few minutes before serving to heat through.

Fresh hokkien noodles are wheat noodles enriched with egg and sold fresh or in vacuum-sealed packages in the fridge section of the supermarket. Hokkien vary in thickness from very thin spaghetti (best for soups or salads) to thick fettuccine (ideal for stir-fries). As they are wheat based, they need to be placed into boiling water until just soft before being added to the dish. They are perfect for stir-fries because they don't break easily.

Chow mein noodles are sold fresh or dried. Like hokkien, they are wheat-based and egg-enriched; however they resemble long strands of very thin spaghetti. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain immediately to prevent over-cooking then add to stir-fries at the last minute.

Dried egg noodles are virtually dried hokkien noodles. Cook in boiling water until just tender. These noodles are best used in soups or wet dishes because they have a tendency to break when stir-fried.
Variety of noodles

Homemade Noodles

Homemade Noodles
People who belong to the younger generation may question why those in the older generation go to the trouble of making their own noodle, when they may be obtained for reasonable price at most supermarkets. The answer is that making homemade noodles allows the cook to incorporate ingredients as desired, within the limits of good culinary practices.

Basic Ingredients
Commercial pasta production generally utilize a dough containing about 70% solids and 30% water, which is a good general guideline for the maximum amount of liquid needed for a given amount of meal or flour. This works out to one egg per cup of sifted flour.

High Protein Noodles
The quantity and quality of protein in noodles may be increased considerably by the addition of certain ingredients. For example, the substitutions of defatted soy flour for only one-eighth of the wheat flour raises the quantity of protein by about 40%, and makes the protein quality almost equal to that of animal protein. It is best not to add nonfat dry milk, because this ingredient weakens dough. Professional pasta makers get around this problem by adding carrageenan to strengthen the dough.

Seasoning and Spices for Noodle Doughs
These should be added as fine, dry powder, because larger particle may weaken the noodles. Some typical seasonings that might be used are basil, bay leaf, garlic, onion, oregano, sage and thyme.

Vegetable Ingredients
Purees made from deeply colored vegetables add considerable color to noodles. However, only limited amounts of purees can be use without adding excessive water. It might be wise to experiment first by adding small amounts of food purees such as beets, carrots, creamed spinach, green beans, beans, sweet potato, and tomato soup. However ration of egg to flour would have to be reduced in order to allow for the water in the puree.
Homemade Noodles

Timeline History of Noodles

The whole history of noodles is one of innovation over the centuries. Noodles were gradually adopted by other cultures around the world.
5000 B.C.
Wheat flour, believed to originate in the Middle East, serves as the basis of the first “noodles.”

4000 BC
Noodles have been a staple in the Chinese diet.

200 BC
Handmade noodles were well established by the time of Han Dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD).

25
Migration of noodles proceeded quickly throughout southeast Asia, arriving in Japan.

300
The Chinese form whole grain paste into various noodle-like products.

500-600
Amidst numerous cultural exchanges, China shares Buddhism and the art of noodle-making with Japan. Buckwheat noodles become a staple of the Japanese tea ceremony.

1138
Arab geographer, Idrisi, travels to Sicily and writes about “triyah,” a food resembling threads and produced in large quantities.

1400
Marco Polo, the great Venetian adventurer, introduced the Chinese staple dish to Italy upon returning from his travels in the Far East.

1700
The very first spaghetti is produced in Napoli, Italy.

1800
Japanese specialty shops create noodles, similar to those eaten today, but requiring considerable preparation time and effort.
Durum pasta had become street food in Naples, and common in much of Italy.

1958
Nissin company first developed instant noodle. Chicken ramen was introduced in Japan.

1970
Ramen have been a staple in college diets, when Nissan brought them to the United States.

It is believed that noodles originated from China as early as 5000 BC, then spread to other Asian countries. Today, about 40% of the flour consumed in Asia is for Noodle manufacture. In recent years, noodles have also become very popular outside Asia and this popularity is likely to increase.

The relationship between noodles and pasta also goes back more than 700 years. It is believed that in the late 13th century, Marco Polo traveled to China and brought noodles back to Italy to add to his country's repertoire of pasta.
Timeline History of Noodles

Manufacture of Rice based Asian Noodles

Manufacture of Rice based Asian Noodles
For decades there have been products on the market that are made from materials other than wheat or rice, but are included in the Asian (oriental) noodle category.

One of the most fascinating Asian (oriental) noodles made from materials other than wheat or rice are mung bean threads, sometimes called cellophane or transparent noodles by Westerners.

This product has the unique property of being transparent like clear cellophane after it is cooked.

The best mung bean threads can stay in their original shape and remain intact for about 2 days after being cooked and kept in the soup.

This is because of their unique starch gelling properties, which also provide very good al dente properties.

True (pure) mung bean threads are made from mung bean only. However, the products today on the market may contain mung bean and other starch materials like broad beans and other starches.

The bottlenecks of making true mung beans threads include the intensive labor required and liquid waste disposal.

The liquid waste is fairly rich in nutrients as it contains all the vitamins, minerals and proteins in the mung bean.

In the past, this waste was used as animal feed.

Attempts have also been made to recover the protein from this liquid waste.

Because of these problems, it is understandable that material other than mung beans, improvements in technology are being considered.

Korean sweet potato vermicelli (“dang myun”) is a product similar to mung bean threads with transparency after it is cooked.

However, the vermicelli is colorless, but kind of light brownish green.

It also has very good al dente properties. Japanese “harusame” is also a similar starch noodle product as it is made also made from starches from potato, sweet potato, rice or mung bean.
Manufacture of Rice based Asian Noodles

History of Maggi Noodles

History of Maggi Noodles
Maggi is a Nestle brand of instant noodles, soups stocks, bullion, sauces a and seasoning.

The original company came into existence in 1872 in Switzerland, when Julius Maggi took over his father’s mill. At that time during industrial revolution in Switzerland created factory jobs for women, who were therefore left with very little time to prepare meals.

Due to this growing problem Swiss Public Welfare Society asked Julius Maggi to create a vegetable food product that would be quick to prepare and easy to digest.

It was the first to bring protein rich legume meal to the market, which was followed by ready made soup based on legume meal in 1886.

In 1863, Julius Maggi developed a formula to add taste to meals, which later paved the way for Maggi and other easy to make food products. Apart from two minute noodles Maggi also offers a range of product.

However in India it was launched in 1980s by Nestle group of companies. Maggie had merged with Nestle family in 1947.

Today, Maggi is particularly well known in India, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Philippine and Singapore for its instant Maggi noodles. (Maggi mee).
History of Maggi Noodles

Processing of Instant Noodles

Processing of Instant Noodles
Instant noodles can be produced either by boiling and drying or by steaming and frying. Fried instant noodles have literally exploded in popularity since the mid 1970s. Instant noodles have become the most popular form of noodle in Japan. The product is popular because it is convenient and can be stored for several months. There are two common forms:

• Square or round noodles blocks, which are sold in bags or packet

• Cup noodles, which are sold in cups.

The noodles are accompanied by a soup base (in sachet), which is separately packaged.

The term instant is a little misleading because the product must be cooked or reheated prior to consumption. The noodle blocks sold in bags usually are cooked in boiling water for three to four minutes prior to serving.

The cup noodles are marketed as a convenient snack food and are ready for eating one to three minutes after pouring hot water into the cup. The cup noodle strands usually are thinner and less densely packed than noodle block to facilitate rapid hydration.

The formulation of fried noodle includes salt (1.5 – 2%), and usually a small amount of alkaline salt (about 10% of salt), although some high quality products are produced without alkaline. After pressing through the cutter, the noodle dough is continually fed into traveling net conveyor that moves slowly than the cutting rolls above it.

The speed differential between the noodle strands and the net conveyor imparts a wave to the strands. The waving procedure improves strand separation and makes steaming more efficient. The wave noodle strands proceeds through a steam tunnel, where they are steamed at 150 – 250 kPa for varying lengths of time (100 – 240 seconds), depending on noodle quality.

Following steaming, starch gelatinization is about 80% complete. The steamed immediately cooled by fans and extended to separate the strands. The noodles are then cut to a predetermine length, folded back to form a double layer and placed in individually in square basket for noodle blocks or round baskets for cup noodles. The noodles baskets travel to a tunnels fryer where they are immerse in hot oil and deep fried at 140 – 150 degree C for about 1 – 1.5 minutes.

Palm oil is the most popular oil for instant noodles. In the frying process, excess water is removed, oil is incorporated into the noodles, and more starch gelatinization occurs. Then noodles come out of the fryer at over 140 degree C. The noodles are drained and cooled immediately to room temperature by passing through a cooling tunnel to prevent oil oxidation.

The final product has an average oil content of 20% (range about 18 – 26%) and a moisture content of less than 10%. In the final stage of processing, the cooled noodles and the accompanying soup base packet are automatically packaged into a bag or cup.
Processing of Instant Noodles

Macaroni, Spaghetti and Noodles

Macaroni, Spaghetti and Noodles
Macaroni products, alimentary pastes, and pasta are more or less synonymous terms describing a broad category of food products which includes such as familiar items of commerce as spaghetti, macaroni, vermicelli, linguini and noodles. Most of these products can be described as hard, brittle pieces, formed in many different shapes by extruding, cutting, and drying tough dough made of semolina or farina mixed with water. There are many deviations from this simple definition however, and it is the versatility of form and composition which has made such as a simple product so widely accepted among nearly all elements of the population.

Macaroni products are very easy for the consumer to prepare for the table, but the finished dishes are capable of almost infinite variations, two features which contribute greatly to pasta’s popularity. The inherent blandness of macaroni products makes them compatible with many kinds of adjuncts enabling pasta to be used as the basis of hundreds of different dishes which appear to the ultimate consumer to be quite different, in that respect resembling rice, bread, tortilla and potatoes.

Spaghetti, macaroni, and hundreds of other forms of pasta are made entirely, or almost entirely of durum semolina. Small amounts of nutritional enrichments may be added, but these do not materially affect either the organoleptic qualities or processing properties of the material. Water is added as a processing aid in the extrusion step, but it is removed later by drying, except in the relatively small amount of pasta sold as fresh products.

Noodles, in their various forms, require the use of egg ingredients in specified amounts but, in most other respects, they closely resemble regular pasta. The consumer can also find specialty pastas containing ingredients such as spinach and tomatoes, but these varieties are certainly a minor factor in the market. In summation, it can be said that the characteristics of pasta as purchased by the consumer depend almost entirely on the qualities contributed by durum semolina as modified by the processing treatments it has undergone.
Macaroni, Spaghetti and Noodles

Instant Noodles

Instant Noodles are probably one of the greatest inventions of all times. The strange thing is that they really are not instant and really are not a new invention. They are just the same old noodles in a new package and marketed a little differently.

There has to be a lesson to be learned when this product is given a closer inspection. Here is something (The noodle) that is hundreds or even thousands of years old. Yet it is now one of the most profitable food niche markets in existence today. Whether it is ramen, canton, bihon, pancit or whatever name it is known by locally, the concept is actually very amazing.

Anyone can purchase these same noodles for much cheaper if they buy them in bulk; bulk in this case being buying them by the kilo or by the pound. Throw in a little bouillon cube and voila, instant success.

So what is the lesson to be learned here from this marketing wonder? Is it that everybody needs to find a product that is hundreds or thousands of years old? That is hardly the case. The whole point is that anything can be sold and profited on if it is packaged correctly.

Who was the first one who packaged the noodles in portions that were suitable for one person? While nobody may know their name, it is certain that it could be looked up. Either way, if they patented the idea, there is a strong chance that they are not among the working class people anymore.

Somebody once said that everything worth being invented has already been invented. This is probably not the case either. The sad fact of the matter is that most people will not ever come up with a patent able idea that will allow them to retire in the lap of luxury.

The whole idea behind marketing; whether it is marketing an idea, a product or information on the internet, or providing something tangible in a store; the concept is the same. Marketing and recognizable packaging has a lot to do with it but it is mostly in the presentation.

These people offered nothing at all that was new. They repackaged it and advertised it as a convenience. Given the hectic pace in the world today, that concept is what sold the product. They knew what buttons to push to get people to buy.

It can be said that not everybody is going to have a life changing idea or concept. That does not mean that they cannot get rich with the proper marketing. Finding a product that can be sold is an important factor. Creating a need or a desire is important to success as is creating a sense of urgency to have that one product in particular. Closing the deal is easy when everything is packaged and presented properly. Making sure that the product is easily recognizable will generate return business, but that is another article.

History of Noodles

5000 B.C.
Wheat flour, believed to originate in the Middle East, serves as the basis of the first “noodles.” Chinese ate pasta as early as 5,000 BC.

2 BC
Wheat was grown in northern China by end of the second millennium. By fourth and third centuries BC, version of pasta existed in many cultures. Indian called it sevika, or thread; the French, noulles; German, Nudeln and the English, noodles.

4
Guangzhou in China considered to be culinary mecca of China. When the first Arab merchants arrived in the fourth century to serve as intermediaries between the Chinese and Greek, they established a steady commerce between China, India, Africa and Europe.

It was via this route that the noodle is said to have found its way from China, through the Middle East to Europe.

300
The Chinese form whole grain paste into various noodle-like products.

500-600
Amidst numerous cultural exchanges, China shares Buddhism and the art of noodle-making with Japan. Buckwheat noodles become a staple of the Japanese tea ceremony.

1138
Arab geographer, Idrisi, travels to Sicily and writes about “triyah,” a food resembling threads and produced in large quantities.

1200
Explorer Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy after encountered it at the court of Kublai Khan in China in 1295. However, the history shows that pasta, maccheroni and vermicelli were known foods before Marco Polo return to Italy.

1300
German bakers made a precursor to pasta in the 13th century, when they rolled dough into symbolic shapes such as swords, breads and stars, which they baked and served as bread.

1600
Early in the 1600s., the beginning of Japan’s Edo period, somen noodles and soba (buckwheat) noodles gained popularity in Tokyo and along the east coast. Because of a demand for soba as breakfast and festival food and street fare, farmer began sowing more grain.
1700
The very first spaghetti is produced in Napoli, Italy.

1800
Japanese specialty shops create noodles, similar to those eaten today, but requiring considerable preparation time and effort. It is believed that noodles originated from China as early as 5000 BC, then spread to other Asian countries.

Today, about 40% of the flour consumed in Asia is for Noodle manufacture. In recent years, noodles have also become very popular outside Asia and this popularity is likely to increase.
History of Noodles