Today, March 5, 2014, is National Cheese Noodle Day. The noodle is a food made from some type of unleavened dough that is rolled flat and cut into one of a variety of shapes. In 2002, archaeologists found an earthenware bowl containing the world's oldest known noodles, measured to roughly 4000 years BP through radiocarbon dating, at the Lajia archaeological site along the Yellow River in China. Noodles are usually cooked in boiling water, sometimes with cooking oil or salt added. Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. In 1802, Thomas Jefferson served a "macaroni pie" at a state dinner. Since that time, the dish has been associated with the United States. .
