Did the Chinese really inspire Italy’s beloved pasta? Did the two cultures connect through the Silk Road or Marco Polo? Or is it possible that noodles don’t actually belong to either of those countries- but instead a much older and far more fascinating history? Today we follow the evidence to trace the spread of noodles from the earliest archeological finds to the Instant Ramen of the 20th century- along the way, trying some of the great specialties of 4000 years of global history.
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0:00 – Introduction
1:17 – Marco Polo and the World of Noodles
3:41 – The Beginning
6:33 – Lanzhou La Mian
10:33 – The First Spread of Noodles
15:03 – Tibetan Thukpa
17:20 – Silk Road
19:04 – The Other Beginning
22:05 – Traditions
25:05 – Pasta in Italy
27:56 – Feast
29:26 – The Arabs
33:32 – 1500-Year Old Persian Noodles
36:05 – Religion and Mythology
41:18 – Perfect Ramen
45:07 – The Other Noodles
49:03 – A Moroccan in Sicily
53:19 – The Age of Exploration
55:26 – The Birth of “Noodles”
59:09 – The Man, The Myth, the Legend
1:03:49 – Instant Ramen
1:07:22 – Flashbacks
1:11:00 – Credits
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Video Credits:
30 Comments
A couple important notes, then location pins.
Usually, we go through several stages of the final edit- catching any accidental mistakes or issues and then fixing until it's ready to go. But our edit computer had some overheating issues and so we had to cut that process a bit shorter than usual this week, so there are two things that I want to quickly clarify, one major and one minor.
– The big one first: I cut a segment from the Japanese ramen section after the story of Bodhisena, going through a few other origin stories of the dish. It was cut because I felt like it went on too long and started to drag (and this is a long enough video already!) but on re-watch I definitely want to make clearer that this was meant to be in an obvious mythology segment- which means I'm in no way trying to declare the Bodhisena story to be confirmed fact. It's a legend. It MIGHT be true- but the thing about Japanese history is it's so well recorded and preserved that sometimes it almost makes research harder; there are a lot of contradictory stories. It's also important to point out that there's a ton of misinformation published about ramen's origin, mainly because during the Edo period (17th to 19th century) the dish was widely rebranded as Chinese Soba. So when it shows up as Ramen again in the early 1900s, it's sometimes confused as a new thing. It wasn't. But the origins are muddy and there's compelling stories covering several centuries and since I cut the longer segment, I should have added a few lines back in at least making this more clear.
– The small one: I understand that mispronunciations will happen, especially in videos like this where I'm trying to cover…I don't know, words in like 30 different languages (and I'm from Virginia- I don't even speak English correctly). But in the line about Spanish soup noodles, that's just the wrong word- it should be Sopa de Fideo, not Fideos. My mistake- would have fixed it if the computer could have handled another render.
All that said, here are the pins:
-Lanzhou La Mian: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6xjQh9hHawfX5csx6
-Tibetan Thukpa: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AQQm6pYKgWGJscac6
-Italian Pasta: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yADo5GGLuFY4mMCX8
-Persian Ash Reshteh: https://maps.app.goo.gl/smjPqMXhRUDDVHwQ8
-Amazing Ramen: https://maps.app.goo.gl/L2j9yc4BL5tSJUg18
-Less Amazing Ramen: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eA1QwbTo5CpAm9pW7
-and as always, our filming location (with the Pad Thai at the end): https://maps.app.goo.gl/6B1JPuiRLJJ8eXVx9
…and as a bonus location, for anyone in Italy, here's Badr's Moroccan restaurant: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vquDMu7p6HkZX1hq8
You want a great noodle/pasta dish? Come to Denver, Colorado and my wife will make you a pan of mac n’ cheese that’ll knock yer socks off and steal yer money!! 😁👍
..she also will make a delicious pot roast chili to put on top.
We’ll also keep an AED unit on hand.. just in case.. 🥴
Seeing your reaction to Ash Reshteh I immediately looked up to see where the closest place I could try it was, now I'm looking forward to the next time I head to Austin.
Cool video but where are the sources for the historical claims?
It's very difficult to believe that people in 5,000BC used PengHui and at the same time it should be very easy to test for. PengHui is a mix of inorganic compounds that should still be present in the preserved samples. What's far more likely is that the dough was rolled into a long thin strand and then cut into individual noodles. But what's way more important is that millet is gluten free, I don't think PengHui would even work on it.
When I have the kind of money that will let me do anything I want, one of the first things that I will do is become a top-tier patron of dozens if not hundreds and certainly eventually thousands of my favorites YouTube channels. They won’t all be food-related, but certainly at least 85-90% will. And OTR has just joined my Patreon wishlist, along with Middle Eats, Cooking With Yousef, My Yemeni Kitchen, Refika’s Kitchen, Marion’s Kitchen, everything from Yotam Ottolenghi and the OTK, Sami Tamimi, Chef Grandma, Claire Saffitz, Anti-Chef Jamie Tracy, and so many more that I’ve even “rediscovered” people like Maureen Abood, whose Tabbouleh I’m finally making, to go along with a burrito filled with refried beans, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, avocado salsa verde, chopped onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and a couple of chopped serranos. And of course the sour cream will be mixed with zhug. If I had the cheffy energy, I would fry potatoes in wagyu beef tallow, to dip in Kewpie mayonnaise. Would You Eat This?😊
My cooking shows have turned me on to all kinds of global mixes that didn’t start out on the same plate but ended up on mine. In my younger days, I started with Julia Child, of course, and then absorbed The Frugal Gourmet (great recipes, terrible reputation), The Galloping Gourmet, Yan Can Cook, and on and on. It’s no wonder that I’d rather Make Lunch, Not War!
#MakeLunchNotWar
Its crazy that how similar 4000 years ago mian looks with the mian nowadays.
The first bowl of la-mian I had was in a restaurant beside the Lanzhou railway station about twenty years ago. I was on my way to Xinjiang on a nine-weeks backpacking trip in China.
The documentary was good but the problem I have with it is that you lump “pasta” as being synonymous with noodles. Noodles is a long string shape form (typically). Upon my research, spaghetti wasn’t made until the 1200s and fettuccini not until 1908. Some people might say it doesn’t make a difference because it’s made from the same ingredients (typically flour) but shape truly makes a difference on how things taste.
the 55yr old me really enjoyed this foodie-docu. More pls of the historic background of the popular food we consider comfort food. thanks for the share
The best noodles/mein/ pasta is from China and Asia in my opinion! Nice & crispy sliding down the stomach is how I like my noodles! 😂
I wonder why noodles skipped over India?
Probably the best Chinese invention after their inventions of firework, umbrella, and paper.
I love noodles so much!
Thanks, it is flavorful informative
Chop sticks with spaghetti?
Did we miss the Sewaiya prevalant in Indian subcontinent?
North African / middle Eastern / Arab / Persian foods are so underrated tbh
Northern Norway has a form of noodles called kleppmelk (lumpy milk). I used to eat it as an evening meal (it was a treat), but it could be dinner. The lumps are a thick pancake batter made from milk, flour, eggs, sugar and salt.
A bit of a disinformation in 40:46
The katakana isn't a written language that was dervied from Sanskrit but from the Chinese characters that were spread into Japan way before Katakana was created
Chinese Characters → Katakana
The katakana is another writing system derived from Chinese characters. It was created by Buddhist monks around the 8th or 9th century, and, like the hiragana, its primary purpose was to simplify the writing of Man'yōgana characters. Compared with the curvy hiragana, katakana strokes are sharp and angular.
Initially, the katakana were used only by men — and, unlike hiragana, katakana also saw use in official documents.
The following image shows a photographic reproduction of a collection of Poems by Priest Myōe (明恵上人歌集, Myōe Shōnin Kashū), in which the katakana were used alongside Chinese characters.
Source: https://ai.glossika.com/blog/history-japanese-writing-systems
for the longest time, I never knew noodles came from rice…and I grew up in S.E. Asia!
This reminds me of a korean documantry: Noodle Road i watched many years ago.
If we trace deeper into ancient time chances are that we may find there were a unified great civilization in which people sharing knowledge and wisdom from within and not counting on who is in charge everywhere at anytime.
Later somebody decided to split that by introducing geographic border, local languages and monarchs, last but not least conflicts and wars.
Page 20:20 there are notable differences in texture and attributes from dividing a doe by cutting versus by multiplying ie stretch and fold.
China was trading everywhere of course they'll spread it around during their trading trip
Tibet your ass. Political enough? Do you know how high the Himalayas is? Do you have any prove ancient people travel across the Himalayas to south east Asia or it is more probabalbe they travel east to Chinese plains then south west to south east Aisa? Even the ancient noodles are found along the Yellow river not west Xizang on the high mountains.
The first dynasty that unified China was Qin秦朝，although it was short lived.
Anyone else have their mouth watering ? And amazed noodles are at least 4,000 years old ?
That's definitely Bronze Age…you, know…Egyptian pyramids rising, burial mounds and stone henges in Europe & G.B. ? Wow…Aztecs building pyramids? That is old. I love noodles !
It doesn't really matter what kind of pasta it is, as long as it's made with my favorite sauce. Eggplant without the core, cut into thin slices and sautéed in olive oil with onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and half a finely chopped Calabrian sausage (or Portuguese sausage).
Ramen was broth to Japan by Chinese immigrants in late 1800s or early 1900s. And it is seen in Japan as Chinese Japanese food.
That method of stretching dough to make noodles is common in both South Korea and Japan. I’m always astonished by the lack of knowledge Westerners have about Asian cultures.