One of the special things about food is that it is truly the only thing on earth which all humans enjoy. Historically, the types of foods enjoyed by humans varied based on culture, geographic location, traditional ingredients, religious beliefs, and just plain taste preferences. The differences in flavor, style, texture, ingredients, and cooking techniques are staggering. Yet the more I explore world cuisines the more similarities I discover. You can undoubtedly trace many of these commonalities to the travels of Marco Polo, the Columbian Exchange, and of course the almighty internet.
The humble noodle shows up across multiple different cuisines. Have you ever heard of ramen? The unassuming little Japanese noodle soup? One reason for the astronomical popularity of this dish can be traced to the dirt cheap instant ramen many of us lived on in college. Life is about choices: you can afford beer if you eat instant ramen, but you’re only drinking water if you decide to eat chicken. But the reason for ramen’s success is that at its heart it’s simply chicken noodle soup, with just enough exotic flavor to win over the hipster and foodie crowd. Ramen is killer good but that’s not what I’m in the mood for today. Today I’m craving Italian style noodles. The anatomy of a noodle can be broken down into a few basic ingredients: flour of some sort, water, and sometimes a fat. Now conventional wisdom (i.e. not true) tells us that the noodle originated in China, and Marco Polo smuggled it out to the West. The reality is that noodles were enjoyed throughout the civilized world long before Marco Polo’s travels. What is true is that Italians embrace this humble little food to greater extent than most cultures.