View source for Vermicelli

{{Short description|Type of pasta}}
{{For-multi|the Asian noodles|Rice vermicelli|the chocolate|Sprinkles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Vermicelli
| image            = Fideo (coiled vermicelli).JPG
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[Italy]]
| region           = [[Campania]]
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [[Pasta]]
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = 
| variations       = 
}}

'''Vermicelli''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|v|ɜːr|m|ɪ|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|l|i|,_|-|ˈ|s|ɛ|l|i}},<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|vermicelli|access-date=23 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/vermicelli|title=Vermicelli|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=23 July 2019|archive-date=23 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723064847/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/vermicelli|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|vermicelli|access-date=23 July 2019}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|v|ɛər|m|ɪ|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|l|i}};<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/vermicelli |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305161904/https://www.lexico.com/definition/vermicelli |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-05 |title=vermicelli |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPA|it|vermiˈtʃɛlli|lang}}, literally "little worms"), is a traditional type of [[pasta]] round in section similar to [[spaghetti]]. In [[Anglosphere|English-speaking regions]] it is usually thinner than spaghetti,<ref>{{cite web | author = Dictionary.Com | title = Vermicelli | publisher = Random House Diciontary | url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vermicelli?&path=/ | access-date = 2012-08-27 | archive-date = 7 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307214527/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vermicelli | url-status = dead }}</ref> while in Italy it is thicker. It is typically made with [[semolina]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2020-05-03|title=Vermicelli Voiello|url=https://www.voiello.it/site/pasta/vermicelli|language=it|website=Voiello|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925105321/https://www.voiello.it/site/pasta/vermicelli|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Vermicelli n° 170|website=Pasta De Cecco|url=https://www.dececco.com/it_it/product/vermicelli-n-170/|language=it|access-date=2020-05-03|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416175534/https://www.dececco.com/it_it/product/vermicelli-n-170/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Thickness comparison==
As defined in Italy, the diameters of spaghetti-like pasta are:

;vermicelli : between {{convert|2.08|and(-)|2.14|mm|in}}, with little variation between different producers.<ref>{{cite web |title= Vermicelli Barilla |url= http://it.barilla.com/content/prodottobarilla/vermicelli |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 25 April 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130425041428/http://it.barilla.com/content/prodottobarilla/vermicelli |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Vermicelli DeCecco |url=http://www.dececco.it/EN/Semolina-Pasta/Traditional-range/Long-Shapes/vermicelli-170/?Prodotto=13  |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 27 August 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110827014722/http://www.dececco.it/EN/Semolina-Pasta/Traditional-range/Long-Shapes/vermicelli-170/?Prodotto=13 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
;spaghetti : between {{convert|1.92|and(-)|2.00|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite web |title= Spaghetti |url= http://www.dececco.it/EN/Semolina-Pasta/Traditional-range/Long-Shapes/spaghetti-12/?Prodotto=7 |access-date= 15 September 2011 |archive-date= 8 July 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150708004936/http://www.dececco.it/EN/Semolina-Pasta/Traditional-range/Long-Shapes/spaghetti-12/?Prodotto=7 |url-status= dead}}</ref>
;{{lang|it|vermicellini}} : ({{lit|thin {{lang|it|vermicelli}}}}) between {{convert|1.75|and(-)|1.80|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite web |title= Vermicellini DeCecco |url= http://www.dececco.it/IT/Pasta-di-Semola/Linea-Base/Formati-Lunghi/vermicellini-169/?Prodotto=12 |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 1 October 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151001104024/http://www.dececco.it/IT/Pasta-di-semola/Linea-Base/Formati-Lunghi/vermicellini-169/?Prodotto=12 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
;{{lang|it|fedelini}} : between {{convert|1.37|and(-)|1.47|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite web
|title= Fedelini DeCecco USA |url= http://www.dececcousa.com/Pasta/Long-Shapes/Fedelini-10/?Product=40 |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 5 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150905115107/http://www.dececcousa.com/Pasta/Long-Shapes/Fedelini-10/?Product=40 |url-status= dead}}</ref>
;[[capellini]] or {{lang|it|capelli d'angelo}} : ({{lit|little hair}} or {{gloss|angel's hair}}) between {{convert|0.8|and(-)|0.9|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite web |title= Capellini DeCecco USA |url= https://www.dececco.com/us_us/product/angel-hair-no-9/ |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 28 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120328114750/http://www.dececcousa.com/Pasta/Long-Shapes/Capellini-9/?Product=33 |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= De Cecco - Nests - Angel hair 209 |url= http://www.dececcousa.com/Pasta/Nests/Angel-hair-209/?Product=32  |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 8 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120308042117/http://www.dececcousa.com/Pasta/Nests/Angel-hair-209/?Product=32 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In the United States, the [[National Pasta Association]] (which has no links with its Italian counterpart, the {{lang|it|Unione Industriali Pastai Italiani}}<ref>{{cite web |title= UNIPI - Unione Nazionale Industriali Pastai Italiani |url= http://www.unipi-pasta.it/ |language= it |access-date= 12 September 2011 |archive-date= 3 September 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110903211842/http://www.unipi-pasta.it/ |url-status= live }}</ref>) lists vermicelli as a thinner type of spaghetti.<ref>{{cite web |title= Pasta shapes |url= http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html |access-date= 12 September 2011 |archive-date= 3 September 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110903014203/http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html |url-status= dead}}</ref>

The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America<ref>{{CodeFedReg|21|139|110}}</ref> defines spaghetti and vermicelli by diameter:

;vermicelli : less than {{convert|0.06|in|mm}}.
;spaghetti : between {{convert|0.06|and(-)|0.11|in|mm}}.

==History==
[[File:Vermicelli with a lemon-pecorino fonduta with fennel fronds and bottarga.jpg|thumb|Vermicelli with a lemon-pecorino fonduta with fennel fronds and ''bottarga'']]
In 14th-century Italy, long pasta shapes had varying local names. Barnabas de Reatinis of Reggio notes in his {{lang|la|Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum}} (1338) that the Tuscan vermicelli are called {{lang|it|orati}} in [[Bologna]], {{lang|it|minutelli}} in [[Venice]], {{lang|it|fermentini}} in Reggio, and {{lang|it|pancardelle}} in [[Mantua]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Ortolani |first= Cristina |title= L'Italia della pasta |year= 2006 |publisher= Touring |isbn= 978-88-365-2933-9 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lBtACd1H-LcC&q=compendium+de+naturis+et+proprietatibus+alimentorum&pg=PA9 |language= it}}</ref>

The first mention of a vermicelli recipe is in the book {{lang|it|De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e maccaroni siciliani}} (''The Art of Cooking Sicilian Macaroni and Vermicelli''), compiled by the famous Maestro [[Martino da Como]], unequalled in his field at the time and perhaps the first celebrity chef, who was the chef at the Roman palazzo of the papal chamberlain ({{lang|it|camerlengo}}), the [[List of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia|Patriarch of Aquileia]]. In Martino's {{lang|it|Libro de arte coquinaria}}, there are several recipes for vermicelli, which can last two or three years ({{lang|it|doi o tre anni}}) when dried in the sun.<ref>{{cite web |title= Libro de Arte Coquinaria Composto per lo Egregio Maestro Martino Coquo Olim del Reverendissimo Monsignor Camorlengo et Patriarcha de Aquileia |url= http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/martino2.htm |language= it |access-date= 3 August 2011 |archive-date= 28 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110128231147/http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/martino2.htm |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Vermicelli in other countries==

===Middle East and East Africa===
Vermicelli, called {{Transliteration|ar|shaʿīriyya}} ({{lang|ar|شعيرية}}) in [[Arabic]], is used in one of the most common ways of cooking rice in [[Egyptian cuisine|Egypt]] and the [[Levant]]. The vermicelli is browned by frying it with oil or butter, then rice and water are added.

In [[Somali cuisine|Somalia]], it is used in a sweet dish called {{Transliteration|so|cadriyad}}, originating from the [[Yemeni cuisine|Yemeni]] {{Transliteration|ar|ʿaṭriyah}} ({{lang|ar|عطرية}}). The vermicelli is browned by frying it with butter, then water, sugar, and [[cardamom]] are added until it has softened slightly. The dish is similar to the Indian [[sheer khurma]]; however, no milk or cream is added. Bananas can also be added on top. It is usually eaten as a dessert or as a side-dish with Somali spiced rice dishes.

{{Transliteration|so|Cadriyad}} is also a common dessert in certain parts of Ethiopia, particularly in the Arab-influenced [[Harar|Harar-ghe region]], where it is known as {{Transliteration|ar|attriya}} and is served cold, often with a thin layer of custard on top.

===Iberia===
[[File:Aletria.jpg|thumb|An {{lang|pt|aletria}} pudding with typical cinnamon decoration]]
Possibly due to the [[Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula|Umayyad]] influence,<ref>{{cite book |last= Colman |first= Andrew |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-K_ekX6BVXsC&pg=PA196 |title= Catalan Cuisine: Vivid Flavors from Spain's Mediterranean Coast |date= 3 December 2005 |isbn= 9781558323292}}</ref> Spain and Portugal use a type of vermicelli called {{lang|pt|[[aletria]]}}. It is mostly used for soups or desserts. In modern-day Portugal, {{lang|pt|aletria}} usually refers to a dessert similar to a [[rice pudding]], but replacing the rice with {{lang|pt|aletria}}.

===The Americas===
[[File:Q & Q vermicelli (fideo) from O.B. Macaroni Company 001.jpg|left|thumb|upright=.6|Vermicelli ({{lang|es|fideo}})]]
The {{lang|es|[[List of noodle dishes#Spanish|fideo]]}} is a type of noodle, produced in Europe since medieval times, best known as {{lang|ca|fideus}} or ''fidelis'', which spread to [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]] and [[Latin American cuisine]], and is often referred to by speakers of English as "vermicelli". A short noodle, typically a few centimeters in length at most, it is commonly used in chicken soup and in {{lang|es|sopa seca}}, a type of side dish.

===South Asia===
[[File:Vermicelli or Sewai.jpg|thumb|upright|A bowl of ''[[shemai]]'', a popular dessert in [[South Asia]]]]
[[File:Vegetable and Vermicelli from India.jpg|thumb|Salted vegetable vermicelli in North India]]
In countries of the [[South Asia]], vermicelli is available either as long strands or cut into about {{convert|2|cm|in|adj=mid|-long|0}} pieces. Vermicelli is known by various local names such as: {{Transliteration|sd|sewiyun}} in [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]; {{Transliteration|te|semya}} ({{lang|te|సేమ్యా}} or {{lang|te|సేమియా}}) in [[Telugu language|Telugu]]; {{Transliteration|ta|sémiya}} when made with wheat, and {{Transliteration|ta|[[sevai]]}} when made with rice in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]; {{Transliteration|ml|semiya}} in [[Malayalam]]; {{Transliteration|kn|shavige}} in [[Kannada]]; {{Transliteration|as|sewoi}} in [[Assamese language|Assamese]]; {{Transliteration|bn|[[shemai]]}} in [[Bengali language|Bengali]]; {{Transliteration|hi|seviyan}} in [[Hindi]], [[Urdu]] and [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]; {{Transliteration|mr|shevaya}} in [[Marathi language|Marathi]]; {{Transliteration|or|simei}} in [[Odia language|Odia]]; {{Transliteration|gu|sev}} in [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]; and {{Transliteration|tcy|semige}} in [[Tulu language|Tulu]]. The noodles are used in a number of dishes, including a variation of {{Transliteration|hi|[[kheer]]}}, called ''sevaya'' or ''seviyan'', a sweet dessert similar to [[rice pudding]]. Vermicelli is also used in many parts of India to make a popular dish called {{Transliteration|hi|[[upma]]}}. To prepare it, dry oil-roasted vermicelli and pre-sauteed vegetables such as onions, carrots, French beans, peas, etc. are cooked together with enough water that can be absorbed by the vermicelli. Roasted cashews or peanuts are used as garnish.
In [[Bangladesh]], vermicelli is generally cooked with milk and consumed as a sweet dessert.

==Other noodles called "vermicelli"==
In English, the Italian loanword {{lang|it|vermicelli}} is used to indicate different sorts of long pasta shapes from different parts of the world, but mostly from South or East Asia.

[[Central Asia]]n {{Transliteration|tr|[[kesme]]}} and [[Iranian cuisine|Persian]] {{Transliteration|fa|[[reshteh]]}} also resemble vermicelli. {{Transliteration|fa|[[Faloodeh|Fālūde]]}} or {{Transliteration|fa|faloodeh}} is a Persian frozen dessert made with thin vermicelli noodles frozen with [[corn starch]], [[rose water]], [[Lime (fruit)|lime]] juice, and often ground [[pistachio]]s.

In East and Southeast Asia, the term ''vermicelli'' is used to translate four different types of noodles. [[Rice vermicelli]] can refer to a thin dried type of [[rice noodles|rice noodle]] ({{lang-zh |c= 米粉 |p= mǐfěn |cy= [[mai fun]]}}; [[Hokkien]]: {{Transliteration|nan|bí-hún, [[bee hoon]]}}; {{langx|th|เส้นหมี่|sen mi}}; {{langx|my|ၾကာဆံ|kya zan}}). A second type of vermicelli is made from rice that has been fermented ({{lang-zh|t=米線|p=[[Mixian (noodle)|mǐxiàn]]|links=no}}; {{langx|th|ขนมจีน|[[khanom chin]]|links=no}}; [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]: {{Transliteration|vi|bún}}). The latter are normally eaten fresh, rather than after drying. Thirdly, vermicelli sometimes indicates [[cellophane noodles]] made from [[mung bean]] or [[sweet potato]] flour ({{lang-zh|t=粉絲|p=fěnsī|links=no}}; {{langx|th|วุ้นเส้น|wun sen|links=no}}). Cellophane noodles turn translucent after cooking, whereas rice vermicelli remain opaque. The fourth type of vermicelli are made from wheat rather than rice flour, ''[[misua]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=麵線|poj=mī-sòa<sup>n</sup>|y=min seen|p=miànxiàn}}).

==See also==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Cookbook-inline}}
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}
* [[List of pasta]]
* [[Rice vermicelli]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Pasta}}

[[Category:Cuisine of Campania]]
[[Category:Types of pasta]]
[[Category:Sindhi cuisine]]
[[Category:Pakistani cuisine]]
[[Category:Indian cuisine]]