# Showing my ignorance: What's the difference between pasta and "noodles" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547 "2013-10-29T12:58:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/1 "2013-10-29T12:58:59Z")
While I love udon noodles and lo mein like any other red-blooded American, I usually don’t make it at home because I know I probably won’t be able to make it _like they can_. Nonetheless, I constantly wonder why I can’t just make some Asian noodles for dinner with the spaghetti noodles I have in the cabinet. Is that a completely horrible cultural misstep? Whats the difference? They’re all just…super thin, stick-like dough, right? PS: If someone could post their favorite lo mein/udon noodle recipes while we’re discussing this, that’d be lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/2 "2013-10-29T13:03:23Z")
Did you read the ingredients? ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/3 "2013-10-29T13:11:44Z")
let’s add macaroni into the mix. pasta is essentially italian and contains eggs whilst udon and asian noodles do not. pasta comes in all different shapes and sizes. noodles are the long things. sure you can make asian with spagethetti noodles. google a recipe,heaps of them. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/4 "2013-10-29T13:20:41Z")
> [@Oedipus](#): > > Nonetheless, I constantly wonder why I can’t just make some Asian noodles for dinner with the spaghetti noodles I have in the cabinet. Is that a completely horrible cultural misstep? You can, of course make Asian noodle dishes with spaghetti, but good manners would demand you feeling bad about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/5 "2013-10-29T13:26:01Z")
mix a bit of dog meat into them , they will never know the difference. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/6 "2013-10-29T13:55:09Z")
Pasta is (are?) noodles. There are noodles that wouldn’t usually be considered pasta, but neither has so precise a definition that you can clearly distinquish them though pasta usually are considered egg noodles. I know Italians who consider ‘noodle’ to simply be the English word for ‘pasta’. However, pasta is generally considered the many forms of noodles made with eggs in the traditional Italian forms that are widely known such as spaghetti, rotini, shells, etc. ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/7 "2013-10-29T14:02:09Z")
you got your noodles in a knot here. pasta are not noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/8 "2013-10-29T14:09:57Z")
Pasta: Italian, does not contain eggs except when it specifically does. Zillion shapes. Usually made of hard (durum) wheat. Noodles: flat thin ribbons, usually contains eggs, unless they are Asian. Asian “noodles” (in quotes because obviously noodle is not the native name): often made of something other than wheat (buckwheat, rice), do not contain eggs, are typically long but not flat. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/9 "2013-10-29T14:22:55Z")
> [@botfly](#): > > let’s add macaroni into the mix. > > pasta is essentially italian and contains eggs whilst udon and asian noodles do not. There are no eggs in dried pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/10 "2013-10-29T14:28:36Z")
They’re synonyms, though usually used in different contexts. One other difference of usage is that “pasta” is a substance noun, while “noodle” is a count noun: A plate of pasta is the same as a plate of noodles, but a single noodle doesn’t really have a pasta equivalent, beyond the clumsy “piece of pasta”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/11 "2013-10-29T14:35:58Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Pasta: Italian, does not contain eggs except when it specifically does. Zillion shapes. Usually made of hard (durum) wheat. > Noodles: flat thin ribbons, usually contains eggs, unless they are Asian. > Asian “noodles” (in quotes because obviously noodle is not the native name): often made of something other than wheat (buckwheat, rice), do not contain eggs, are typically long but not flat. This is the best so far. Pasta doesn’t usually contain eggs; noodles usually do (though there are “eggless” noodles these day, usually with egg whites only). Asian noodles are more often made of grains other than wheat (rice is common, for obvious reasons) and don’t have the same variety of shape as pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/12 "2013-10-29T14:38:10Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Asian “noodles” (in quotes because obviously noodle is not the native name): often made of something other than wheat (buckwheat, rice), do not contain eggs, are typically long but not flat. It gets even more complicated! Some Asian noodles do contain egg. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/13 "2013-10-29T14:41:56Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Pasta: Italian, does not contain eggs except when it specifically does. Zillion shapes. Usually made of hard (durum) wheat. > Noodles: flat thin ribbons, usually contains eggs, unless they are Asian. > **Asian “noodles” (in quotes because obviously noodle is not the native name): often made of something other than wheat (buckwheat, rice), do not contain eggs, are typically long but not flat**. Not entirely accurate. Plenty of rice or bean noodles are flat. Tofu can also come in ‘noodle’ shape but are not considered noodles. Mein is Chinese for noodle. ‘Chow mein’ means ‘fried noodles’. Not sure about Lo Mein, possibly boiled or steamed. For what it’s worth my wife, from China, likes to cook western noodles with her Chinese food, and doesn’t feel the least bit bad about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/14 "2013-10-29T14:42:28Z")
Pasta noodles are made from durum wheat flour; Asian noodles, when made from wheat, are made from common wheat flour. They are more commonly made from a different ingredient such as rice, however. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/15 "2013-10-29T14:42:59Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > It gets even more complicated! Some Asian noodles do contain egg. 😃 Yup, egg noodles 🙂 I think they are usually eaten with wonton soup, and dishes like that? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/16 "2013-10-29T14:48:05Z")
> [@botfly](#): > > mix a bit of dog meat into them , they will never know the difference. This probably wasn’t funny the first time, and it definitely isn’t the 10 billionth time. Knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/17 "2013-10-29T14:49:47Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > There are no eggs in dried pasta. Except for dried egg noodles, of course. I would add a link but I haven’t figured how to copy urls on my tablet ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/18 "2013-10-29T14:51:39Z")
Right, but that’s not really pasta. Just egg noodles. ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/19 "2013-10-29T14:56:21Z")
ok. from my experience. in china ‘noodles’ are ròu tāng miàn in a type of hotpot soup dish.\* mian _meaning_ noodles\*. the meat is questionable as it could be anything. the art of making the noodles is amazing as they toss them into the air akin to a pizza master doing his dough. the comment was not meant be offensive, but here they will just toss about anything into the mix. this depends on the province you’re in too.oodles. i guess in a western modernized nation asking ‘what meat is that’ is acceptable. here they can’t define or express. meat is meat. noodles are noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/20 "2013-10-29T15:35:21Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > Yup, egg noodles 🙂 I think they are usually eaten with wonton soup, and dishes like that? I’ve bought fresh spaghetti-like noodles and dried egg noodles, some shaped like thin fettucine, some gathered into little nests, some very thin and delicate. I’ve seen lots of thicknesses of ffesh and dried egg noodles in [HMart](http://www.hmart.com/), but i don’t know what to do with most of them! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547.md?page=2)