Noodles – or rather the strips made from cereal powder – have become a special feature of the world culinary culture. From the East to the West, it is not difficult to see noodles being served from sidewalk stalls to luxurious restaurants.
Noodles – or rather the strips made from cereal powder – have become a special feature of the world culinary culture. From the East to the West, it is not difficult to see noodles being served at the sidewalk stalls or luxurious restaurants. Noodles have been repeatedly referred to as the great creation of the cuisine. In some countries, the history of noodles is as important as their own cultural history.
#1: Udon noodles
Udon noodle is one of the four noodles from Japanese cuisine. It is not only loved in its home country but also famous all over the world. The broth of Udon noodles is the special combination of traditional Japanese ingredients including dashi, mirin, and soy sauce. The simplest bowl of Udon only contains noodles, broth, and some onions. However, from this basic flavor, Japanese people invented various versions of Udon noodles with the condiments such as pork, eggs, tofu, tempura, or seafood.
Many dishes are just a part of the long menus of restaurants, but Udon restaurants are very easy to find everywhere in Japan. It shows the indisputable popularity and fame of this special dish.
#2: Tonkotsu noodles
Tonkotsu is a special Japanese dish. Tonkotsu means pig bone in Japanese. With the broth made from this ingredient, Tonkotsu noodle cannot be confused with any other dishes because of the special milky white broth. This special color comes from the pig bone broth which is boiled for a long time (up to 20 hours). A little chicken broth or vegetable can be added to enhance the flavor. Many people compare the broth of Tonkotsu with milk not only because of the color but also the distinctively special consistency.
Traditional Tonkotsu noodles are often eaten with bengi shoga (pickled ginger). However, like Udon, there are also different versions of tonkotsu, depending on the condiments.
#3: Korean cold noodles
Korea is an Asian country which is also famous for its noodles. The most special noodles is the cold noodles. Naengmyeon – Korean cold noodles – are preferred in summer. Cold noodles has long and thin strings made from wheat flour mixed with potato, sweet potato, and arrowroot starch. Therefore, the strings have a gray color and stringier than other noodles made from wheat flour.
There are two most popular ways to eat cold noodles, which are eating with broth or mixing with other spices. The broth of this special dish is made of beef, chicken, or broth of white kimchi. After boiling, the broth is cooled down and added to the noodles, and seasoned with some vinegar and sugar before eating. If you want to have mixed cold noodles, the broth will be served in a separate bowl. The noodles are mixed with traditional Korean chili sauce, bringing the spicy and cold flavors in a single dish which are suitable to release the heat of the summer here.
#4: Italian pasta
European countries also cannot deny the charm of noodles, in which Italian pasta is the most famous representative of noodles in the Western cuisine. Slightly different from Asian noodles, Italian pasta is made from unfermented wheat flour mixed with water or eggs. The noodle strings are boiled or baked. There are dozens of types of Italian pasta. Depending on the shapes such as round, long, flat, large, or thin shapes, there are also hundreds of types of Italian pasta.
Italian pasta is often served with one or more sauces combining different ingredients and flavors. Tomato sauce which is served with sliced beef is the most basic sauce for Italian pasta. White sauces made from cream which is rich in flavor and buttery are also popular in the North of Italy. Depending on the ability of combination, talent, and the skill of the chef, new sauces and flavors are created daily or hourly. This is worthy of being considered as the most varied and unique dish today.
According to Fest Magazine
