Is pasta a type of noodle? The surprisingly serious debate over two beloved carbs

By Dianne Ma, Lecturer in Culinary Arts & Gastronomy, Auckland University of Technology

Certain taxonomic debates resurface time and again.

When does a pond become a lake, or a sea an ocean? When does a cup become a bowl? And when does a dialect become a language?

Similar debates rage on in the food forums, including the age-old question: what’s the difference between pasta and noodles? Can you really compare ramen with spaghetti, or penne with pad thai?

At first glance, “noodles versus pasta” might seem like a frivolous variant of…

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