Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - What's the story about the origin of noodles?

What's the story about the origin of noodles?

Rice is eaten in the south and noodles are eaten in the north. As noodles with a history of 4,000 years, it can be said that it has far-reaching influence. Lu You also lamented: "Eating noodles when you are hungry is an American drama." So, as the food we often eat, how much do you know about the history and origin of noodles? This issue of food culture will be analyzed for you.

Noodles originated from the Han Dynasty in China. At that time, pasta was collectively called cake, because noodles were cooked in soup, so it was also called soup cake. Early noodles were flaky and strip-shaped. Sheet is made by holding the dough in your hand, pulling it into noodles and putting it into a pot. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the varieties of noodles increased. Famous ones are Shui Yin and Wei Jia in Qi Yao Min Shu. "Water shadow" is to press noodles the thickness of chopsticks into the shape of "leek leaves"; Wei Jia is a very thin "smooth and beautiful" patch.

During the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, there were more varieties of noodles. There is a kind of cold noodles with water called "cold peach", which has a unique flavor and is very appreciated by the poet Du Fu. It is called "teeth are colder than snow". There is also a kind of noodle, which is tough to make and has the saying that "wet noodles can tie shoelaces", which is called one of the "seven wonders of health preservation".

"Noodles" appeared in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. For example, in Lin 'an City in the Southern Song Dynasty, there were raw noodles of pigs and sheep and various kinds of plain noodles for sale. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, noodles had more colors. For example, Li Yu, a dramatist in the Qing Dynasty, included "five-spice noodles" and "eight-treasure noodles" in Suiyuan. These two kinds of noodles are made by mixing fine powders of five kinds of animal and plant raw materials respectively, which can be called the top grade of noodles.