SE4: Family Ties

Sarah Heermann

5/4/2012

Writ SE 6

Family Ties

It was always a celebration for me to visit my grandmother. My grandfather and her lived only five miles away in the same town, but they enjoyed travelling and growing up I only ever saw them once about every three months. Each time we got together, I enjoyed catching up with her, but the best part was the traditional meal that always followed. It was the same meal everyone looked forward to on all holidays, all family gatherings, and any time you were with grandma. This specialty was chicken noodles. Not the watery soup, but the kind made with homemade thick egg noodles with tender chicken, freshly mashed potatoes underneath, all topped with fresh ground pepper. The result was a rich and creamy plate that was the ultimate comfort food. The focus for me though, was always on the noodle. The success of the meal depended on the success of the noodle itself. The perfect noodle added texture yet was still complementary to the chicken and potatoes. Because of this significant connection to my grandmother and the meal itself, noodles have always been a food that I enjoy and look forward to eating. They represent more than just a meal to me. They give me the feeling of comfort and family, and so I naturally became curious about their history. Just as if I were tracing my family tree, I plan on looking at the origins and properties of the egg noodle, and what makes them so good.

“The texture of the noodle is the most important.” Is what my grandmother always said, and in this case the experts agree. Texture and consistency are a main concern regarding egg noodle quality. According to Wiley Online Library, cooked noodles should remain firm and not lose solids in cooking water, and should not become sticky and soggy when standing after cooking (Khouryieh, Herald, and Aramouni) .  The main ingredient that maintains this high standard of crispiness is one called Semolina.  Due to gluten development, it makes noodles firm in bite, less starchy, and resistant to overcooking. The quality of the noodle is often determined by its Semolina percent content (Khouryieh, Herald, and Aramouni).

After this discovery, I became curious about this “father” of the egg noodle, and found that Semolina is actually the soft center of any kind of grain. However, wheat is most commonly used in the egg noodle (Conant). The most common kind of wheat to use for semolina is Duran wheat, a hard wheat variety with very high gluten content and high protein to carbohydrate ratio. Durum wheat is more coarsely ground than other flours and the milling process naturally separates the endosperm (the soft center) from the rest of the grain (Conant).  Semolina is a favorite of noodle makers because of its resiliency to the pasta making process. It retains its shape in cooking, even if overcooked.

While semolina provides texture and quality, the other main ingredient is of course, egg. Egg also improves cooking quality, but its main function is that it strengthens the network that holds in the starch during cooking (Khouryieh, Herald, and Aramouni). This was interesting to me, because there would seemingly be a starch battle inside of every cooking noodle. The egg ingredient fights to hold in starch while the Semolina struggles to release starch. I pictured a battle scene in my head, with the noodle eventually disentigrating in the water just from indecision.  But these ingredients actually work in harmony to achieve an “agreed” upon level of starch, without violence. The different amounts of each ingredient is what makes noodles different tasting from each other, from extremely starchy and high egg content to less starchy and high semolina content (Khouryieh, Herald, and Aramouni). The protein in the eggs also aids in stabilizing, forming, and enhancing the flavor of the noodle, but perhaps the most important role of the egg is the deep yellow the yolk brings to the noodle (Khouryieh, Herald, and Aramouni).  Without the yolk, the noodle would take on a white color or even become transparent. A deep rich color is the most desirable, and according to my grandmother, indicates freshness.

The ingredients of the noodle and what make the noodle high quality was interesting to me. I did not know that the ingredient semolina was involved, nor did I know the role the egg actually played in noodle cooking.  Like learning a little bit of my own family history, I feel a more connected now to the food that has such an importance to me. Understanding more about the noodle and the ingredients involved will help me become a better shopper and cook. Noodles connect me to my grandmother, a sacred tie now that she has passed, and to the rest of my family that still remembers her mastery of the family favorite recipe, chicken noodles. These family gatherings and the meals we shared would not have had the same impact had the egg noodle not been a part of the recipe.

Resources

Conant, Patricia. "The Epicuren Table ." Grain Product Basics. theepicurentable.com, 2006. Web. 4 May 2012. <http://www.epicureantable.com/articles/agrainsemolina.htm>.

Khouryieh, Hanna, Tomas Herald, and Fadi Aramouni. "Quality and Sensory Properties of Fresh Egg Noodles Formulated with Either Total or Partial Replacement of Egg Substitutes." Wiley Online Library. Journal of Food Science, 2006. Web. 4 May 2012. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2006.00060.x/full>.