Chinese Noodle: A Millenary tradition

We can't talk about noodles without mentioning Chinese noodles. Historians believe that the oldest noodle was found in China and it is was 4 000 years old, making this country the inventor of the noodle.

They are a crucial element in Chinese cuisine, weather you are eating them at a fancy specialty Chinese restaurant or just getting them to go at a train station, the different recipes and ways to prepare them are the number one element when it comes to food of asian origins.

We can find a great variety of Chinese noodles. This usually depends on the region the noodles where produce, the materials that where used and the preparation process. We can find some similarities trough out the different types. For example china men are very fond of wheat so most of their noodle is either made out of wheat, buckwheat, rice or mung bean. The other ingredients, recipes and shapes do change from one region to the other.

When it comes to naming this great spectrum of noodles, Chinese have it harder than the rest of the cultures because of the many dialects available in China that are use to name them. The world 'mein' or 'mien' usually refers to the one made of wheat while the word 'fun' are for the rice noodles.

When it comes to cooking them, many Chinese recipes include Chinese noodles as their primary element and they can be cook either fresh (wet) or dry. Most people boil the in a mixture of water and oil without any salt because the dough is already salted, some just rinse them in simmering water while some others even eat them out of the package ( which is the case of the prepackaged 'wet' noodles that come pre-cooked).

There is a great variety of cold and hot Chinese noodle recipes and they are traditionally eaten with chopsticks, the drain and chilled recipe are common during the summer and the hot ones similar to a noodle soup are usually served during the winter. As a last advice when eating Chinese noodle soup slurping is a most, not only because it is a fun way to enjoy a nice bowl of it but also because of the practical reason: introducing cool air to cool off the broth and Chinese noodles.