So, you thought all noodles and pastas came from China or Italy, did you? It ain?t necessarily so. Israel Aharoni sifts through the evidence and comes to some surprising conclusions.
The image of diners sucking long noodles into their mouths with a soft slurping sound is forged into the western consciousness as a distinctively Italian scene. In reality, ancient Rome was the final western destination at the end of the Silk Road, the trade route that set out from Xi?an, the ancient capital of China, where people can also be seen softly slurping noodles at all hours of the day or night.
Much like the long noodles, the real and imaginary avenues of the Silk Road stretch from China to Italy. On the way we find a mind-boggling variety of noodles and cooked dough delicacies, in a variety of shapes and flavours. Jiao dze in China, Manti in Central Asia, and ravioli in Italy are all variations of the pastry dumplings that one discovers all along the Silk Road. They have spread far beyond the boundaries of the Silk Road, to Russia as Varenikes, to gyoza in Japan. Noodle dishes such as Lokhshen in Poland, fetuccini in Italy, Lagman in Central Asia, la mein in China, and ramen in Japan are but a few threads in the evolution of the noodle along the Silk Road and beyond.
To trace the origins of noodles – an entire global family of cooked doughs – is to investigate the family tree of an ancient lineage, with many branches and offshoots. The pastas known to us today are varied hybrids; a genetic search for ancestors and influences is both fascinating and misleading. As we travel along the Silk Road, a look at present day-to-day life can serve as a key to understanding how the family of noodles evolved.
Evidence of noodles being eaten at both ends of the Silk Road can be found in ancient times. Both Rome and China offered a wide variety of cooked doughs. The frequently asked question is, ?Which was first?? There is no unequivocal answer. Conjecture, however, is rampant.
One speculation is that pasta came simultaneously into being in both China and Italy, with no link between the two. But a careful look at noodles eaten along the Silk Road raises doubts. Like links in a chain, one finds them in many versions that offer evidence of a continuing connection and continuity. At times, it is unclear whether a particular dish has descended from the Italian tortellini or from the Chinese ?won ton?.
The main mystery, then, is not whether there is a link, but rather, what the essence of that link is. Perhaps noodles originated in neither China nor Italy. Perhaps, rather, pasta began somewhere else along the Silk Road. There is some speculation that noodles originated in ancient Persia, a culturally rich empire with great influence in the region. If this is the case, it is reasonable to assume that they reached the outer edges of the Silk Road in their original form and, from there evolved in an autonomous manner, in each place taking the qualities of the local cuisine.
American researcher Louis Dupre claims that noodles originated with the nomadic tribes of North Afghanistan. Faced with the need to find a way of using and storing large quantities of flour, they necessarily created from the flour a solid product that could both be preserved and made convenient for transport.
While there is little clear support for this claim, there is some logic in the idea that noodles originated among nomads setting out on long treks and needing to transport foodstuffs with relative ease. Another bonus for your nomad lifestyle would be the fact that noodles require little preparation – 3-4 minutes and they are "fresh" again, ready for eating. The hurried cook of the 21st century appreciates pasta for much the same reasons.
Eat 05, July 2001
