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7 min
28/01/2026
It might not come as a surprise, but the world’s first noodles were made with millets in China, some 4000 years ago. From there, it reached Japan, then Korea and via sea trade routes, reached parts of South Asia. As for the European version, or rather, Italian pasta, some say pasta existed before man, while some choose to believe Marco Polo tasted noodles in China and brought the knowledge to Europe. And that’s not all there is to the world of noodles. So, read on for some popular noodles around the world!
As deceptively simple noodles seem these days, the very process of sourcing the ingredients, kneading the dough and squeezing them into shapes (usually strings) is long and painstaking. Yet noodles have found their way into reel and real lives through sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory (Sheldon’s Chinese takeout on Friday nights), Garfield’s lasagna obsession, or ramen bowls stealing the spotlight in Naruto and Tampopo. You have special and quite readily recognised noodles from China, Italy and Japan, with more from India and beyond.
Given that the birthplace of noodles is China, it’s hardly a surprise that the neighbouring country of Japan has quite a few varieties of noodles. Here are some popular ones.
Ramen noodles are distinctive for their springy, elastic texture and pale yellow colour, achieved by kneading wheat dough with kansui, a mineral water containing sodium carbonate. This sets them apart from other wheat noodles. Inspired by Chinese lamian, ramen noodles cook quickly and are best eaten al dente. Left soaking too long, they absorb broth, soften rapidly, and lose their signature bounce and bite.
Thicker and chewier than ramen noodles, udon noodles are round and firm wheat noodles. They’re served hot in kake udon soup or chilled in cold broths during warmer months. Seasonal toppings like tempura, shrimp, spring onions, tofu, or rice cakes are often added to the soupy dish. Udon is traditionally eaten with chopsticks, often slurped. Regional differences influence the size and thickness of the udon, and it's a staple in Japanese cuisine.
These thin Japanese noodles are made from buckwheat flour, enjoyed hot or cold, and known for their ashy brown colour. Soba is eaten with chopsticks and meant to be slurped. Soba has been part of Japanese culture since the Edo period. Popular dishes include mori soba with cold noodles and tsuyu sauce, as well as kitsune, tanuki, tempura, and kake soba.
The Italians will probably cry murder over this one, but their noodles are pasta. If history were to be seen, noodles come from China, which reached Italian shores quite recently. Here are some popular pasta types.
One of the most popular pasta varieties, penne are short, tubular pasta piece with ends cut at a sharp diagonal, usually made from durum wheat flour and water. The name penne means ‘quills’ or ‘pens’ in Italian, inspired by their angled shape resembling a writing quill. Ridged penne (penne rigate) have grooves that help trap and hold thick sauces like arrabbiata or creamy pesto, while smooth ones (penne lisce) don’t.
Originally rolled by hand, spaghetti is long, thin, cylindrical Italian pasta made from durum wheat semolina mixed with water. It’s the gluten in semolina that gives spaghetti a firm, slightly chewy texture when cooked, till al dente. It’s also what helps long strands hold sauces well. It used to be known as itryya, and it was invented in the Arab-ruled Sicily around the 12th century. Spaghetti goes well with a wide range of toppings, from simple olive oil and garlic to rich tomato and meat sauces.
Stuffed pasta would be a good description of ravioli as it refers to the kind where two thin layers of dough encase a filling. The fillings range from cheeses, meat and vegetables, and the dough could be shaped into any form. The dough is typically made with wheat flour and eggs, and the ravioli is boiled before being served with sauces. It usually goes first as a part of a larger meal and is a winter delight.
The birthplace of noodles, China, has a large collection of noodles from chow mein to glass noodles. Some versions, you might know, like Hakka noodles and Indian chowmein, are not exactly from there. Here are some authentic varieties.
Known as fensi in Chinese, c-noodles are thin, clear noodles made from water and starches like mung bean, sweet potato, or potato, giving them their signature glass‑like appearance when cooked. They’re sold dried and rehydrated before use, then added to soups, stir‑fries, and salads. These noodles feature in many Asian cuisines: Chinese fensi in hot pots and stir‑fries, Korean dangmyeon in japchae, Japanese harusame in salads, Thai wun sen dishes, Filipino sotanghon, and Malaysian stir‑fries.
There are heated debates on who invented the much-loved chowmein, yes, the same chowmein loved in many parts of India, but most point to North China, from the Guangdong province. ‘Chowmein’ means ‘fried noodles’ in Cantonese, describing how wheat‑based egg noodles are first par‑boiled and then tossed in a hot wok with oil, vegetables, proteins, and light sauces until they’re slightly crisp or chewy. There are more variations worldwide, in Indonesia, Nepal, and the Caribbean.
Guangdongese lo mein, or laomian (meaning stirred noodles), features wheat and egg noodles boiled separately and then tossed with a sauce. Properly cooked, the noodles are springy and firm, similar to Italian pasta or Japanese ramen. The usual ingredients include sesame oil, green onions, ginger, soy, or oyster sauce. Lo mein is often served with stir-fried vegetables like cabbage, carrots, snow peas, and mushrooms, along with proteins such as chicken, beef, pork, or seafood.
This is one noodle variety that is loved worldwide, from Europe, Asia, to the Middle East. Vermicelli (meaning little worms in Italian) refers to very thin noodles traditionally made from wheat, rice, or semolina, depending on the region. As much as you might reckon that vermicelli is of Italian origin, its roots go back to China. In Italian cuisine, it’s used in pasta dishes and soups, while in Asia, rice vermicelli stars in stir-fries, salads, and broths. Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines, adopted via the Mughals who brought it to India, use roasted vermicelli in pilafs and desserts like kheer.
The perfect rice noodles find salvation in the South Indian idiyappam, or as Sri Lanka knows it, the string hoppers. Malaysia knows it as putu mayam, also popular across Singapore and Indonesia. The dish features fine rice flour noodles, pressed through a sieve and steamed in a rattan basket, which gives them a subtle, woody aroma. Topped with desiccated coconut and sweet sugar blocks in some parts of the world, the noodle dish is enjoyed with curries, stews, or coconut-based gravies.
It’s like flipping the pages of a really ancient book that is dog-eared and moth-eaten when it comes to the tale of noodles and their wide varieties. These springy delights show up in kitchens across the globe, with each version reflecting an ingenious way of using local ingredients, techniques, and traditions, whether boiled, stir-fried, stuffed, or served in broth.
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