Saturday, October 15, 2005
Ancient leftoversI've always wondered if Marco Polo brought noodles with him on his slow boat to China, or was that on his slow boat from China? Or perhaps he got them from a Polynesian mermaid he met out in the Pacific Ocean.
But now Chinese archeologists are claiming that they have conclusive proof that noodles were invented first, of course, in China, at least 4000 years ago. They discovered an overturned bowl under clay river sediments while excavating a site in northwestern China, and under the bowl, they found a small clump of what appeared to be noodles. The strands were thin and delicate, about 20 inches long, and looked to have been made from ground millet (a type of grass) rather than wheat or rice flour which are common modern-day noodle ingredients. Radiocarbon dating of material taken from the site on the Yellow River indicated that it was about 4,000 years old.
This may not be enough to end the controversy about the origin of noodles although it is believed that they didn't start appearing in Italy until 2000 years ago. To eliminate any doubt that their find was truly noodles, the Chinese scientists are still busy looking for packets of soy sauce and artificial flavorings but thus far they have been unsuccessful. That would definitely settle the question once and for all. Unless, of course, those little packets turn up saying Cup Noodles, and the Japanese jump in and claim that they were first.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 5:28 AM
Comments:
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Cindy,
Shrimp and grass. A great combination.
Steven,
The only things the Italians invented were Fiat and the Pope. I don't think they came up with spaghetti on their own.
John,
Amazing the noodles survived 4000 years without refrigeration. I am not sure it was fit for human consumption.
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Shrimp and grass. A great combination.
Steven,
The only things the Italians invented were Fiat and the Pope. I don't think they came up with spaghetti on their own.
John,
Amazing the noodles survived 4000 years without refrigeration. I am not sure it was fit for human consumption.
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