Vermicelli

Vermicelli is a long, thin, round-cross-section pasta made traditionally from semolina wheat, related to spaghetti but generally thinner, and distinct from the separate rice-based product also called rice vermicelli that is native to East and Southeast Asia. Its exact diameter depends on where it is made: Italian vermicelli is actually slightly thicker than spaghetti, while American and English usage applies the same name to a noticeably thinner strand. Vermicelli-style noodles appear across many cuisines under local names, including sha'riyya in the Arab world, where it is toasted in butter before being mixed into rice pilafs, and pheni on the Indian subcontinent, where it is cooked in sweetened milk during religious fasting periods. The word itself comes from the Italian for little worms, and recipes for vermicelli-like pasta date back to at least the thirteenth century in North Africa and Islamic Spain.