Boosted by the lucrative student market, sales of noodles in the UK are on the rise. Graham Sherwood chronicles the 4000-year history of this most versatile of foods

Age-old question “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” rings clarion bells for other food groups, too. For centuries, a debate has raged over whether noodles or pasta were first on the scene, with neither seemingly able to disprove the other’s claim to the crown.

Many sources proclaim that noodles have been a staple food in many parts of the world for at least 2000 years, and in 2005 the oldest noodles ever found were discovered inside an overturned sealed bowl buried under three metres of alluvial sediment at Qinghai in north-west China. Scientists carefully excavating the find determined that the 4000-year-old, long, thin yellowish noodles they found had been made from broomcorn millet and foxtail millet – evidence to suggest a high level of food processing and culinary sophistication had been involved in their manufacture.

Unlike our own westernised, secular relationship with food, mainly regarded as mere fuel, in the Orient cuisine it takes on an almost religious connotation; noodles are closely aligned to longevity and the expectation of a long and successful life. Indeed, noodles feature prominently in religious observances, birthdays and particularly New Year celebrations in preference to cakes or other sweetmeats.

The earliest noodles were invariably made from ground millet seeds, becoming the preferred accompaniment when added to crude meat broths for added sustenance. Although wheat had been introduced to China in the early years of the first millennium, it wasn’t until the third century AD that ground wheat flour overtook steamed millet as the first choice for noodle production. Today 40 per cent of all the wheat flour in Asia is made into noodles of some description.

From the 12th century, there are written accounts of exploration and trade, by Marco Polo et al, that suggest both the Italians and the Chinese had similar products made from processed flour. It can be no surprise, therefore, to consider the string-like similarities between Italian spaghetti and Chinese noodles together with filled parcel-like features of Chinese dim sum and Italian ravioli.

For sheer versatility, however, noodles do appear to have the edge as they can be made from a number of sources; wheat – in a variety of types – rice, potato starch, mung beans and even acorn flour. The most commonly eaten noodles are the flat or ribbon-style rice noodles, sometimes made in extra-thin shape and known as vermicelli or angel hair. Mung bean or ‘glass’ noodles, made with bean and potato starch, have become very popular in Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine.

Buckwheat noodles are similarly popular in Korea and Japan, where the brown variety is known as Soba. Potato starch noodles, sometimes called ‘cellophane’, can also be made into dumplings, such as Italian gnocchi or the Slovakian halusky.

How to enjoy them

The best way to serve noodles is to boil them before adding them into a thick meaty casserole-style broth or in curry mixtures. In addition, fried noodles form an integral part of many of the Asiatic stir-fry recipes. Although something of an acquired taste, noodles may be served cold on a salad of seafood and vegetables, and who hasn’t heard of good old chicken noodle soup?

Away from the traditionally-made fresh noodles favoured throughout Asia, their promotion into the mainstream of western cuisine has occurred via the ‘convenience’ food market and sales have increased by four per cent globally. As a healthy option, noodles also fit the bill well, containing a mere 1.5g of fat per 40g serving and virtually sugar-free, a definite positive compared with other fast foods.

In grocery market terminology, the pasta, rice and noodle sector has grown impressively in the last three years by 23 per cent to a respectable £1.4bn and, although not shown separately, figures for noodle sales are generally accepted to have been the main reason for such an emphatic increase.

While sales are growing throughout all the main demographic groups here in the UK, it is the lucrative student-led 18 to 25-year-olds market where much of the promotional activity has been directed.

The two main well-known brands, Batchelors Super Noodles and Golden Wonder Pot Noodles, have spearheaded this drive with (some would say) a series of innovative but provocatively ‘laddish’ advertisements.

Pot Noodle, launched believe it or not in 1977, despite earning the dubious accolade via one industry poll of being ‘the UK’s most hated brand’, manages to sell a staggering 155 million pots a year.Serious foodies will say that these convenience pots represent a far cry from the quality of ‘real’ noodles, even though most of these are sold dried, in easy-to-prepare packs themselves. Egg noodles are one of the most popular forms of ready-to-eat noodles, their extra rich colour, more definite flavour and texture finding particular favour
with our westernised palates.

Perhaps the best way to sample traditional noodles in the UK is to visit a traditional Thai, Chinese or Japanese restaurant. One company, enigmatically named Wagamama, is leading the way to noodle domination of our high streets with an impressive 65 Noodle Bar restaurants across the country. Shifting 12 tons of noodles in varying formats weekly, Wagamama has been quick to capture a niche market for what is essentially a very healthy food group when compared with other national restaurant and fast food chains.

As a reasonably fit, late-fifty-something, noodles have started to appear in my weekly supermarket basket with a surprising regularity. And although to my mind, my wife’s new favourite, Thai chicken curry with noodles, may not replace my personal first choice ready-meal, fish and chips, we certainly eat noodles more often.