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Journalism of Courage
Noodles are arguably the most popular food in the world. Every country has its own variations of the dish. With the advent of instant noodles, they have become a staple snack for those who want a quick fix.
Former Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim recently shared a video that showed how noodles are prepared in China from the scratch. The video showed metres-long noodles being masterfully stretched and then hung from the roof vertically to dry. These noodles are then served in an appetising-looking broth.
While sharing this video which has over 19,000 likes, Solheim wrote, “Historians discuss whether Italians invented noodles and brought them to China. Or it was vice versa? Traditional noodles in Shaanxi, China. Originated in the Tang Dynasty. @TripInChina”.
Commenting on his post, a Twitter user wrote, “The consensus by most learned Italians is that Marco Polo brought the idea of noodles to Italy from China. Some claim convergent evolution.”
Another person said, “Not sure if there are any historians arguing that Italians brought noodles to China. The debate seems to be usually about whether noodles went from China to Italy, or Italians had it on their own”.
The popular view amongst scholars is that noodles first originated in China. In an interview with The Atlantic, culinary writer Jen Lin-Liu, who is the author of On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta, said, “The oldest historical mention of noodles I could find appears in a dictionary from the third century AD in China.”
