Noodle is a long, thin strip of starchy dough that is usually boiled before eating. Noodles can be made from a variety of ingredients, including rice , wheat , or mung beans. Some of the most popular noodles include rice noodles, made of rice flour and water; udon, made of wheat flour, water, and salt; and cellophane noodles, made of water and mung bean, potato, or sweet potato starch. Egg noodles are made with wheat flour and eggs. Italian noodles are made of pasta , generally a mixture of semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat) and water. Pasta noodles are often served with sauce. In Asia, noodles are traditionally served with hot broth. Noodles are popular throughout the world. They are sold at restaurants and grocery stores. People can also make noodles at home.
Such noodles as udon and soba ( buckwheat noodles) are made using the roll-and-cut method. First, the noodlemaker prepares a dough and then leaves it to rest. The dough is then pressed through rollers to form long sheets. The sheets are cut into strands of the desired width. The long strands dry slowly in a special room. The noodles are then cut and packed. Noodles can also be prepared fresh. They are cooked after drying.
One popular noodle dish is ramen . Ramen is a Japanese dish of noodles in broth with other ingredients. Another popular noodle dish is pad thai. The dish is from Thailand and includes such ingredients as rice noodles, eggs, peanuts , and vegetables. 
No one knows when noodles were first made. Experts believe that noodles were first produced thousands of years ago in central Asia. Noodles are mentioned in a dictionary from the A.D. 200’s in China . The earliest Chinese noodles were not strands of dough. Instead, they were shaped into little chunks. They were then cooked in boiling water.
