Oodles of Noodles

While beginning this post I had every intention of writing a quick sentence about how noodles originated in Asia. After digging into the topic a bit more, however, it sounds like it's a pretty controversial issue - some (I'm sure primarily Italians) claim noodles originated in Italy or in the Arab region, and others are convinced it originated in Asia. In the 1st century BCE an ancient form of lasagna was written about in Italy, which debunks one theory that Marco Polo brought noodle knowledge from Asia to Europe in 1295...from this it sounds like the Italians invented noodles to me. But, about 6 years ago ancient pasta was found in China that dates way back to 2000 BCE. Many are skeptical about this though, because apparently the evidence crumbled before further tests could be conducted. I guess we will never know the real story...

Regardless of their origin, noodles play a huge role to this day in Asian cooking. I'm sure there are thousands of different noodle dishes just in Asia alone--here are just a few we encountered in South Korea and Japan.

Fukuoka, Japan. Tonkotsu Ramen is an art at the food stalls in this city.

Gangneung, South Korea. Naengmyeon, the spicest dish I've ever had in my life. You use scissors to cut the noodles first, and it's served with a tangy, icy broth (which I proceeded to down promptly after eating the noodles).

Osaka, Japan. Chopsticks aren't just reserved for Asian noodles. Ryan here is demonstrating how to eat italian spaghetti, Japanese style.

Kyoto, Japan. Nadai Omen (Udon) Noodles. Put a few spoonful's of sesame seeds in the broth bowl, next add some veggies that were stacked oh so artfully on the plate, and lastly add a few noodles. Eat and repeat.

Kyoto, Japan. Soba buckwheat noodles with tofu and scallions. Simple and perfect.