Fideos pasta has a long history and is used in various recipes, including paella and soups. It is believed to be one of the earliest forms of pasta and has a distinct shape. It originated in Spain and is related to couscous.
Fideos pasta is an unpretentious pasta with a long and interesting history. Pasta is eaten throughout the Mediterranean, especially in Spain and Italy, and can sometimes be found abroad as well. Several distinct recipes use fideos, including soups and a pasta-based paella served in Spain. Food historians believe that fideos pasta may be one of the earliest incarnations of pasta, and it certainly has a well-documented history.
In Spain, spaghetti pasta is sometimes called fideos, which can be confusing, as fideos have a distinct pasta shape. In Italy, fideos pasta is often called fidelance or fedelini. Modern fideos are typically made with durum wheat. The paste is short, thin and slightly curved. This classic shape appears to have been maintained for several centuries, as are recipes using pasta.
The history of fideos begins in the 13th century when Spain had a large Muslim population. It appears to be a fusion food, closely related to couscous, a durum wheat-based dish that is very popular throughout the Middle East. A 13th-century compendium of Muslim-Spanish cuisine lists a dish called fiduciaush, which uses fideos dough. The dish is distinctive because the noodles are cooked in their own sauce, a convention that has been retained in many modern fideos recipes. Some European Jewish recipes also use fideos or very similar ingredients.
In Spain, fideos are cooked instead of rice in paella, especially in southern Spain. This version of paella is very similar to medieval fiduciaush and can be made with an assortment of ingredients. Seafood fideos are very popular, with shellfish such as clams and mussels being common inclusions. The pasta is cooked in a rich sauce with seafood and served straight from the pot. Fideos pasta is usually toasted in oil before adding the other ingredients, just like in the case of rice in paella.
Many soups also use fideos, as the long thin strips of noodles add interesting visual and textural touches to the soup. Especially in the United States, when fideos are available, it is usually sold specifically as a soup noodle. In this case, it can be spiked with egg for a more hearty flavor. Pieces of spaghetti broken into lengths will also work well for this purpose. The pasta can be cooked separately and can be added to the soup, or it can be cooked together with the soup, releasing the starch to thicken it.
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