Common lore has Marco Polo bringing pasta west from China in the 13th century. Yet forms of pasta and noodles have existed not just in Asia, but also Europe and the Middle East for a long, long time.
These days, the word "pasta" usually means the Italian type made with durum wheat semolina. Other pastas are made with buckwheat or whole wheat flour. The Chinese make noodles using wheat and rice flour, and even mung bean starch, sweet potato starch and millet.
