Food, travel, and life in On the Noodle Road

Who invented the noodle? Did Marco Polo introduce noodles to Italy from China? Jen Lin-Liu who owns a Chinese cooking school found herself asking the same questions while on her honeymoon in Italy. Marco Polo did not introduce the noodles, but beyond that it gets fuzzy, so she decided to embark on a long trek that would follow the Silk Road that linked China to Italy to try to find the answers, but this journey goes beyond food and becomes a life experience.

Beginning in China Lin-Liu moved west into Central Asia, continued through Iran, then Turkey, and ended with Italy. As a woman she was allowed access into women’s kitchens along the way where they would talk about their lives. On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta explores noodles like never before with accounts of the travel, scenery, and people, including intimate glimpses into the lives of the women she encounters. This memoir with recipes is a wonderful mixture of food, travel, and life as Lin-Liu makes discoveries about herself as well.