Posted on 10/12/2005 1:36:46 PM PDT by bigmac0707
Oldest noodles unearthed in China
Late Neolithic noodles: They may settle the origin debate
The 50cm-long, yellow strands were found in a pot that had probably been buried during a catastrophic flood.
Radiocarbon dating of the material taken from the Lajia archaeological site on the Yellow River indicates the food was about 4,000 years old.
Scientists tell the journal Nature that the noodles were made using grains from millet grass - unlike modern noodles, which are made with wheat flour.
The discovery goes a long way to settling the old argument over who first created the string-like food.
Professor Houyuan Lu said: "Prior to the discovery of noodles at Lajia, the earliest written record of noodles is traced to a book written during the East Han Dynasty sometime between AD 25 and 220, although it remained a subject of debate whether the Chinese, the Italians, or the Arabs invented it first.
"Our discovery indicates that noodles were first produced in China," the researcher from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, explained to BBC News.
The professor's team tells Nature that the ancient settlement at Lajia was hit by a sudden catastrophe.
Among the remains are skeletons thrown into various abnormal postures, suggesting the inhabitants may have been trying to flee the disaster that was enveloping them.
"Based on the geological and archaeological evidence, there was a catastrophic earthquake and immediately following the quake, the site was subject to flooding by the river," explained co-author Professor Kam-biu Liu, from Louisiana State University, US.
"Lajia is a very interesting site; in a way, it is the Pompeii of China."
It was in amongst the human wreckage that scientists found an upturned earthenware bowl filled with brownish-yellow, fine clay.
When they lifted the inverted container, the noodles were found sitting proud on the cone of sediment left behind.
"It was this unique combination of factors that created a vacuum or empty space between the top of the sediment cone and the bottom of this bowl that allowed the noodles to be preserved," Professor Kam-biu Liu said.
The noodles resemble the La-Mian noodle, the team says; a traditional Chinese noodle that is made by repeatedly pulling and stretching the dough by hand.
To identify the plants from which the noodles were made, the team looked at the shape and patterning of starch grains and so-called seed-husk phytoliths in the bowl.
These were compared with modern crops. The analysis pointed to the use of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum)
"Our data demonstrate that noodles were probably initially made from species of domesticated grasses native to China. This is in sharp contrast to modern Chinese noodles or Italian pasta which are mostly made of wheat today," Professor Houyuan Lu said.
Maruchan brand "Roast Chicken" flavor is a big fave of mine. Y'know, until I finish the third one out of a box from Sam's, and try to figure out who to fob the rest of 'em off on. ;')
Great find !!!
Old Jurassic Ramen.
(Seriously, I found these on the shelf at a local Chinese grocery recently, and it was so goofy I had to take a photo.)
That goes in my collection of bizarre products that make me laugh - except this is the first real one.
One of my favs. My 4 year old daughter does the noodle dance. She's too cute to be believed!
So, uh, what did you do for "the munchies"?
Now THAT is stoned. I was partial to a Yogi's Roast Beef and Cheese sub until I went into the carryout place and saw them change a baby on the counter.
Read this before lunch
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_steve_dont_eat_it.php
I once ate a whole pound of peanut butter.
My daughter and my wife both take a Ramen block, break it up into chunks, sprinkle the powder over the chunks, and eat them that way. Yuck.
Never heard of Yogi's. Do they serve their food in a "pic-a-nik" basket? :-)
ROTFLMAO! May I use that?
Nothing wrong w/noodles by themselves. I munch on a few before I actually cook the stuff.
But no, I've never bothered (yet) eating a whole block. It wouldn't make me sick but I think I might be bored enough by the experience (cardboard?) that I'd never eat Ramen again.
You're not kidding...
ROFL! Oh, man, that's hilarious. The "foods" themselves are jaw-dropping, but the guy's writing really makes it classic.
Meanwhile, for drinks to wash that down with (and more ROFL commentary): Crazy Asian Drinks. That first page doesn't look like much, but click the links down the left-hand side for the taste-testing reviews of the individual drinks. Check out Pocari Sweat ("looks like a sumo wrestler wrung out his diaper moisture into a glass") or Young Coconut Juice With Jelly ("the jelly bits -- like sea monkeys raping my uvula"), then work your way through the rest. And yes, these are real products.
Also check out the Gallery of Regrettable Food, culinary horrors from cookbooks of the 40's, 50's, and 60's:
You might crush poor Lileks' site with hits from FR.
A couple years ago he was featured in Entertainment Weekly and almost went under.
>Noodle.
>Use your noodle.
>Noodle.
>Do the Noodle Dance.
Stop! You're killing me. There goes a good night's sleep...
Note: this topic is from 10/12/2005. Thanks bigmac0707.
|
And a half hour after the catastrophic flood, the poor guy was hungry again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.