Japanese Udon Noodles Are Adapted From A Chinese Recipe By A Buddhist Monk in the 9th Century

Across the country, December 11 is the day recognizing National Noodle Ring Day.

National Noodle Ring Day could possibly be about the little round pasta noodles that make up a delicious pasta salad or a number of other pasta dishes. They also are popular with kids (of all ages) to use in different craft projects, maybe even one that results in a beautiful snowflake for the holidays.

However,  celebrates the pasta dish which is formed in an 8 or 9 inch ring mold or bundt pan.  Usually made from noodles, flour, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs and other seasonings, this dish has quite a following.  When baked the noodle ring is removed from the mold and served on a plate giving it an elegant appearance.

• A noodle Ring is a dish of pasta, cheese, eggs cooked in a ring mold.
• Common fillings for the center of the ring includes creamed chicken, vegetables or other ingredients of your choice.
• Any kind of pasta can be used for making noodle ring.
• Creating a pasta ‘nest’ with a cooked food center has been around for centuries.
• One of the mid-century recipes of noodle ring is from The American Women’s Cook Book, which was published in 1948.
• It was believed that noodles were first made from millet, a kind of cereal grain in China, at around 2000 B.C. Later it was found out that noodles originated from a desert region in Central Asia, the Tarim Basin in China’s Xinjian province.
• Wheat noodles in Japan (udon) were adapted from a Chinese recipe by a Buddhist monk as early as the 9th century.
• Instant noodles may be considered as an inexpensive food item today, but the fact is that they were once sold as luxury item.
• It would cost you only about $140 a year if you ate ramen for every meal.
• By federal law, a noodle must contain 5.5 percent egg solids to be called a noodle.
• The first noodles ever consumed in space were instant ramen noodles.
• Ramen is the Japanese word for Chinese “lo mein.”
• There’s a whole museum in Yokohama, Japan dedicated to Cup Noodles.
• In Japan, slurping loudly while eating your noodles is not considered a poor etiquette. Rather, it signifies appreciation for your host that the meal being served is delicious.
• There are several customs related to eating noodles. You will be surprised to know that in Japan, slurping loudly while eating your noodles is not considered a bad manner; rather it signifies appreciation of the meal. It reflects that the food is delicious.
• In 2005, instant noodles made it into the space with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi. It was the Nissin Food that invented zero-gravity instant noodles. They developed a special ball-shaped version of the usually dangling noodle that space-travellers can easily eat in space.
• If you are a noodles fan, you will be glad to know that there is a noodles museum in Osaka, Japan. According to reports, the museum archives almost 4560 varieties of noodles and even the process of making.
• According to the International Pasta Organization, there are more more than 600 different shapes of pasta produced throughout the world.
• People had been eating pasta for thousands of years before anyone ever thought to add tomato sauce. This is mainly because tomatoes are not native to Europe, and weren’t introduced to the continent until Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes from Mexico to Europe in 1519. Tomatoes and pasta soon became an iconic combination in Italy, and it was only a matter of time before meatballs were thrown into the mix.
• Italy is the country that eats the greatest amount of pasta worldwide. As you might not expect, however, the #2 and #3 countries that eat the most pasta are Venezuela and Tunisia.
• A 2013 Barilla World Pasta Day survey found that Americans’ three favourite pasta varieties, in order, are spaghetti, penne and rotini.

Sources:

National  Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mobile-Cuisine

Times of India

Food Network