Never really gave this any thought at all – I mean, why would I? – that was until about an hour ago. Went for a quick look and, yes, that was a bad judgement call from yours truly. A bad, bad call.
Deep breath – you're in this now – no point moaning about it – it's your own fault, idiot...
Noodle as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary: an unleavened dough made from flour, water, and sometimes egg, boiled in water.
But just as we’re getting all comfy and cosy with this, it also gives an example: the pasta recipes were very simple using only noodles and some type of seafood. Deep breath again. Breathe.
How about pasta? Flour, water, occasionally egg, boiled in water. No mention of noodle. Now I am really confused.
We do know that the creation of pasta came from Eastern travellers, and durum grew exceptionally well in the Italian climes; durum makes for a firmer texture than the softer type of China and Japan. This also influences cooking times: noodles can be cooked in a couple of minutes (even seconds), something that pasta just cannot do. Then there’s what they are served with: pasta = sauce, noodle = soup (-style), and pasta is European, whereas noodle is Asian.
And whilst we are in this culinary quagmire, we may as well see if we can entrench ourselves any further into a complete mess. The word noodle comes from the German word Knödel, so that’s European. What is the Italian name for noodle? Tagliatella, that’s what. Arrrggggh!!!
Can I mention that there is now gluten-free pasta available, meaning that that is basically a noodle because noodles can be made from practically anything, including wheat? And because ramen noodles are typically made from wheat, does that make them pasta?
Please stop throwing things at me.
So… all pasta is a noodle (even lasagne sheets), but not all noodles are a pasta because you don’t make pasta from rice or mushrooms or mung beans.
I am really sorry I dragged you all into this.
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