Csiga Noodles

Csiga Noodles refer to very small Hungarian egg noodles which are short, tubular pasta that are hollow inside and with a winding ridge spiralling up their sides. The pasta is made from a mixture of flour, eggs and water, then rolled and cut into small squares, which are then curled around a small iron or wooden rod. Csiga Noodles are made on special grooved Csiga boards made of wood or bamboo. To make Csiga Noodles, a 3/4-inch square of the dough mixture is rolled from one corner to the other with a dowel about as thick as a pencil. This makes it both hollow inside and grooved outside. Some Hungarians, however, just leave the square dough as is and never bother anymore to have the special shape, although Csiga Noodles is named as such as they are supposed to be snail-shaped. Csiga is the Hungarian word for "snail", hence Csiga Noodles are called as such because they are shaped like snails. Csiga Noodles are generally used in making soups. The cuisine at most village weddings includes a Chicken Soup with special Csiga Noodles that were traditionally believed to have fertility-inducing properties. Csiga Noodle is known in Hungarian as Csigateszta.