The World’s Oldest Noodle Recently Unearthed in China
Archaeologists have discovered long, yellow noodles measuring 50 cm, which were found in a pot that may have been buried during a flood.
Carbon dating analysis of the material taken from the archaeological site of Lajia, located along the Yellow River, indicates that the noodles are around 4,000 years old.
According to scientists, these noodles were made from millet, unlike modern noodles which are primarily made from wheat flour. This discovery has helped answer a long-standing debate about who first created this type of noodle.
Professor Houyuan Lu stated, “Before the discovery of noodles at Lajia, the earliest record of noodles was found in a book written during the Han Dynasty, around 25-220 AD, although it remains a topic of debate as to whether the Chinese, Italians, or Arabs were the first to create it.”
The ancient settlement of Lajia was overwhelmed by a sudden flood. Among the remnants, there were skeletons found in unusual positions, indicating that residents attempted to escape from the disaster that struck them.
“Based on archaeological and geological evidence, there was a significant earthquake followed by a flood from the river,” explained Professor Kam-biu Liu from Louisiana State University, USA. “Lajia is an intriguing site; one could say it is a Pompeii of China.”
In the ruins, scientists discovered a pottery vessel covered with a layer of fine brown clay. When they lifted the clay, they found the noodles intact in one corner.
These noodles resemble La-Mian, a traditional Chinese noodle made by hand-pulling dough. To identify the plants that constituted the noodles, the team examined the shapes and structures of the starch grains in the bowl. They were compared to contemporary food sources, leading to the analysis identifying them as foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum).
“Our data shows that the noodles were first made from plants grown in China. This contrasts with the noodles of today, whether Chinese or Italian, which are mostly made from wheat,” said Houyuan Lu.
