The world of Asian noodles is vast. Walk into any Asian market and you'll see aisles of noodles, each of different shapes, lengths, and textures. Noodles in Asia are more than a food—they're an essential part of culture with a 4,000 year history. Even the noodles' length has significance—they are often symbols of longevity in celebratory meals.
For the amateur noodle shopper, parsing through a grocery's many noodle options can be mindboggling. Similar styles of noodles come packaged both soft and dried from China, Taiwan, and throughout Southeast Asia. The number of varieties alone are overwhelming, heightened by the absence of any standardized noodle nomenclature, language, or even common classification. This makes it difficult to know which noodles are which, and how to choose between them. So here's a guide to help you identify some of the most common noodles available in Asian groceries in the US.
Thanks for posting that. We sometimes shop at an oriental market that my wife was introduced to by two Korean ladies she knows. We buy things we know or recognize there, but the shelves are lined with products that we have no knowledge of. I'll sometimes buy something that looks interesting, but that is a very random experience. Guides to products used in other cultures and cuisines are therefore welcome.
Big Al
-------------------------------- Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.
Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro
A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ
Posts: 7466 | Location: Western PA | Registered: 20 April 2005
I'm in the same boat. We have Mitsuwa and HMart nearby and they have tons of noodles, as do some of the independent grocery stores that stock a lot of international products. I never know what to buy.
There were some caregivers at the Lutheran Home where my mom lived who were from the Philippines. They would make pancid (a Filipino dish) and japchae (Korean noodles). I remember that I once volunteered to buy the ingredients for them to make a batch of pancid. I think I bought four different kinds of noodles because I wasn't sure which one goes in the dish, and it turns out none of them was the right one. Lito and Helen were very particular about their noodles, down to the best brand to buy....
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Posts: 38222 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
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Posts: 13890 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005
We buy things we know or recognize there, but the shelves are lined with products that we have no knowledge of.
We feel that way in Korean grocery stores! There are various Korean dishes that I recognize when I see them prepared and ready to eat. But I don't know the names of the dishes, let alone the names of the ingredients!
