Slurping a taste of timeless flavors and history in every strand of Chinese noodles

HOMETOWN OF NOODLES

Archaeological research suggests that China is home to the world's oldest noodles, dating back some 4,000 years. Unearthed at the Lajia ruins in western Qinghai Province, often called the Oriental Pompeii, they stand as a testament to the enduring dietary traditions of the Chinese people.

Although China is widely regarded as the birthplace of rice, its vast territory, with its complex terrain and varied climate, has also given rise to a rich diversity of flour-based foods such as noodles.

Traditionally, noodles are served on many important occasions. People eat "longevity noodles" during birthday celebrations to wish for a long and healthy life, and noodles are offered to family members returning home as a warm gesture of welcome. Newlyweds are also often served noodles to bless them with lasting love and a harmonious marriage.

Noodles are so symbolic that they have even featured on the menus of China's state banquets, and are sought after by visiting foreign dignitaries. During former U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to China, he attended a banquet featuring a live demonstration of Dragon Beard Noodle (Longxu Mian) craftsmanship and engaged enthusiastically with the chef. In 2011, then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden ordered noodles with soybean paste at a restaurant in downtown Beijing, turning the so-called "Biden Set Meal" into a viral sensation.

Over the millennia, noodles have evolved into a rich variety of styles across China, with southwestern regions favoring spicy flavors and eastern areas leaning toward milder tastes, while in Yanji City of northeastern China, the Korean ethnic minority enjoys cold noodles and Lanzhou City in Gansu is famed for its steaming beef noodles.

Prior to China's reform and opening up, when grain coupons were required, a simple bowl of Yangchun noodles in clear soup without toppings was a treasured moment for many Shanghai residents, who saw the white noodles and green scallions as symbols of purity and refinement, reflecting personal cultivation.

Shanxi in northern China is often called the kingdom of noodles. Boiled noodles alone can take more than 200 forms, shaped by differences in production methods, ingredients and toppings. Dough is pulled, cut with scissors, sliced, hand-rolled, or pressed from flours such as wheat, oat, buckwheat, soybean, corn, or sorghum into a wide variety of shapes.

Liu Dangcheng, a senior master chef registered with the China Cuisine Association, attributes Shanxi's love of noodles to the scarcity of rice. Situated on the Loess Plateau with limited water resources, Shanxi produces wheat and boasts about one-tenth of the planting area of China's minor cereals like millet, miscellaneous beans and naked oats.

"In the 1950s and 1960s, when China faced grain shortages, people in Shanxi mixed starch from potatoes or sweet potatoes into corn flour to make noodles," he explained. "The noodles turned out unusually chewy and firm, earning them the nickname 'steel wire noodles.'"