# 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:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/61 "2013-11-02T06:24:17Z")
Dang. Sometimes I hate having my ignorance reduced! I loved that story. ☹ But doing a bit more research it seems that while the Marco Polo story may be a popular fiction, the [Silk Road origin](http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/pastas/history-of-pasta.asp) of boiled pasta still seems to be true … just occurring much earlier. > [@](#): > > According to the American historian Charles Perry, who has written several articles on the origins of pasta, the first clear Western reference to boiled noodles, is in the Jerusalem Talmud of the 5th century C.E. Written in Aramaic, it used the word itriyah. By the 10th century, itriyah in many Arabic sources referred to dried noodles bought from a vendor, as opposed to fresh ones made at home. Other Arabic sources of the time refer to fresh noodles as lakhsha.¹ … > > … Credit for the invention of boiled pasta is given to the Arabs. Traders from Arabia packed dried pasta on long journeys over the famed “Silk Road” to China. They carried it to Sicily during the Arab invasions of the 8th century.² > > The dried noodle-like product they brought with them could easily be reconstituted into a hot, nutritious meal. This is most likely the origin of the dried pasta that began to be produced in great quantities in Palermo at this time. That article also credits the Chinese with making pasta first. > [@](#): > > Scholars credit the Chinese with making pasta from rice flour as early as 1700 B.C.E. … It appears as a baked product in Italy around 400 B.C.E. Unclear if it was an independent invention or the result of travel and exposure. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/62 "2013-11-02T09:39:58Z")
I used to love soft-wheat “spaghetti” (Aus was mostly a soft-wheat producer). Sadly, the whole country has shifted over to “authentic” hard-wheat pasta now, and you can’t get soft-wheat spaghetti for love nor money. One difference? It takes 3 times as long to cook. Which means that the kids buy rice noodles for fast food now. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/63 "2013-11-03T02:07:49Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Dang. Sometimes I hate having my ignorance reduced! I loved that story. ☹ > > But doing a bit more research it seems that while the Marco Polo story may be a popular fiction, the [Silk Road origin](http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/pastas/history-of-pasta.asp) of boiled pasta still seems to be true … just occurring much earlier. > That article also credits the Chinese with making pasta first.It appears as a baked product in Italy around 400 B.C.E. Unclear if it was an independent invention or the result of travel and exposure. I recall once reading a mention of a Roman soldier, or an army officer I think, popping up at one Chinese court, so it’s possible. (I believe it was a brief mention in _A Penguin History of the World_, by JM Roberts, not sure.) So they at least knew of each other. But maybe it went the other way, with Italy introducing it to China. China habitually claims credit for every invention under the sun, even the game of golf, so it _would_ be just like them to claim credit for noodles even if they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![MaltLiquor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MaltLiquor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaltLiquor)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547/64 "2013-11-03T06:35:35Z")
I had no idea that anyone made a distinction between the words. There are different shapes, different ingredients, and the method to make them vary quite a bit but they are all noodles to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/showing-my-ignorance-whats-the-difference-between-pasta-and-noodles/672547.md?page=3)