Vermicelli vs Spaghetti:What Are The Differences?
In general, vermicelli and spaghetti might look the same but their length, taste, and ingredients are quite different from each other. This might make you more confused about vermicelli vs spaghetti. Then, get a quick, straightforward answer to it.
Vermicelli is a kind of pasta that is very thin and comes in long shapes. Spaghetti on the other hand is long but it’s more like spring shapes. Vermicelli and spaghetti both originated in Italy but later these are adopted by other countries and gets popular around the world. Vermicelli is referred to as noodles in many countries but spaghetti is originally pasta and is used in different pasta dishes.
However, this quick answer isn’t enough for you if you are planning to make these as your regular dish. In that case, you need to learn the ways of differentiating these two kinds of pasta.
In this article, we break down the details between these two so that you can clearly understand the difference.
Vermicelli; What Is It?
Origin and Ingredients: Vermicelli is an Italian-origin pasta that was invented back in the fifteenth century. It’s a strand pasta and has a very long, noodles-type appearance.
In most of Asia, the key ingredient of Vermicelli is rice flour. If you want to get original vermicelli pasta, then those will be made from durum, mixed with wheat semolina. This original vermicelli pastas are a bit hard to find since now in different countries, it’s made with different procedures.
But in the USA and Italy, Vermicelli is made of wheat flour.
The name is derived from ‘Vermi’, an Italian word that means worms. Now you may get a little confused with the meaning but that’s not what the word pointed out here.
It means more like a form of good food, a nourishing little worm for the betterment of your health. Vermicelli means little worms, packed with happiness.
Availabile form: It is a form of pasta or food that you will find available in dried form. You can find fresh vermicelli that’s made from fresh durum in some packages but that’s available with a bit more expensive. Because the fresh ones are always made with egg.
But the dried vermicelli cuts the egg mixture in most cases since these are low expenses.
Vermicelli is basic and easy to make. You will just need to force down a big pile of flour and egg mix through thick metal plate holes and the outcome will be long thick pasta noodles. For its easy way of making, it’s available throughout the whole world.
Spaghetti; What’s This?
Origin and Ingredients: Some historians believe that spaghetti came to Italy through Marco Polos’ hand. But in general, in most cases, it’s said that Spaghetti originally originated in Italy.
The first form of spaghetti pasta was commonly made from rice flour. It was very popular in east Italy sides. Now-a-days, flour and semolina of Durum wheat are used to make spaghetti.
How The Name Derived: The word Spaghetti was derived from the Italian word “Spago”. The word’s English translation means “twine” or “string”. Since it’s not plain and has some macaroni-like strings in its shape that is why the name is being given to it.
Availabile form: Spaghettis have a solid form. It’s basically cylindrical and long. There is another form of spaghetti which is called spaghettini, which is a particularly thin form of spaghetti. It’s specifically popular in US and Italy but not widely available as vermicelli pasta. Wheat, durum, and semolina are mixed to produce this pasta.
What is The Key Difference Between Vermicelli and Spaghetti?
Now, you may want to know the details of the differences between spaghetti and vermicelli. Let’s start with an information-filled table.
| Comparison Parameter | Vermicelli | Spaghetti |
| Origin | Campania, Italy region | Italy (Also believed to be brought from China in Italy) |
| Shape Outlook | Looks like a thin version of Noodles | A form of long strings |
| Substances | Made from rice flour (In India, it’s made from hard wheat flour named mayda) | Made from durum wheat, or semolina |
| Used mainly for | Mexican Fideo (Vermicelli), Vermicelli Upma | Authentic Italian Spaghetti |
| Color | Usually brown or white, depends on the place | Opaque and pale yellow |
| Cooking time | It can be cooked fast | Takes time before the main cook |
The thickness is the first and prime factor that differentiates these two kinds of pasta because, in Italy, Vermicelli is way thicker than spaghetti. But in the US, spaghetti is thicker than vermicelli because spaghetti is way more traditional and available in the US.
Not even in the US, usually, vermicelli is thinner than in the rest of the world and its popularity in Asia is more because of its thinness. Not only that, many English-speaking countries, follow the US rules between vermicelli and spaghetti.
The thickness measurement is around 2 millimeters for spaghetti. To distinguish vermicelli, it increases slightly more which goes up to 2.3 millimeters. This is the measurement chart for the US specifically.
Speaking of the differences, the outlook comes in second place. Spaghetti is long without any breaks. But Vermicelli is like a lot of broken spaghetti. Though they both are made from flour, the process of vermicelli helps it to cook faster than spaghetti. Both canes are interchanged with one another’s dish, but vermicelli is used in rice kind of dishes more.
Vermicelli vs Spaghetti; Which One Is More Nutritious?
Both vermicelli and spaghetti are filled with nutrients. Both are beneficial in their own ways and better than many available kinds of pasta. But if you compare Vermicelli with general egg noodles, Vermicelli is way healthier than the second option because it has low saturated fat.
Spaghetti is typically high in manganese, copper, and phosphorus with high in vitamin B which allows you to have good health in numerous ways. Do point out that both of these pasta are whole grain pasta which has more micronutrients than refined pasta.
Nutrition chart-wise, a small bowl full of spaghetti would contain
- ½ cup of marinara sauce
- 4.9 grams of fiber
- 10 grams of protein
- 53 grams of carbohydrates
- 285 calories
- 3 grams of fat.
On the other hand, chart-wise a small bowl of rice vermicelli noodles contains
- 81 grams of carbs
- 0-gram fat
- 360 calories
- 6.6 grams of protein.
Since vermicelli contains 0g fat, you can call it healthier than spaghetti and add it to your diet plan if you’re on a weight-loss journey.
Health Benefits of Vermicelli and Spaghetti
There are numerous health benefits for both vermicelli and spaghetti which we are including below.
Vermicelli:
1. One of the most important things about vermicelli is it’s gluten-free. It often is helpful for people with a risk of heart disease.
2. It increases energy a lot. As you saw in the nutrition chart, it has more calories which help to improve digestive health.
3. It’s low in sodium which helps to prevent high blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of kidney diseases.
Spaghetti:
1. Spaghetti is a great way to boost your daily carbohydrate needs.
2. Whole wheat spaghetti has the highest level of fiber than any other regular pasta which is essential for your daily energy.
3. Spaghetti meals sometimes help to reduce weight without making you hungry for a long time.
What are Some Popular Recipes for Vermicelli?
Vermicelli is popular all around the world, so its recipes vary more in different cutlers and nations. Some popular recipes for Vermicelli are:
- Stir Fried Vermicelli Noodles
- Kimchi Pork Tofu with Vermicelli Noodles
- Vietnamese Egg Rolls Vermicelli Noodles
- Vegetable Coconut Milk Soup With Vermicelli Noodles
- Spicy Beef and Basil with Vermicelli Noodles
What Are Some Popular Recipes for Spaghetti?
Spaghetti recipes originated in Italy and later were modified or reinvented in the US and other English countries. Some popular spaghetti recipes are:
- Spaghetti Bolognese recipe
- Cod puttanesca with spinach & spaghetti
- Lemon spaghetti with tuna & broccoli
- Tomato & mozzarella spaghetti bake
FAQs
Can I make dessert items with vermicelli?
Yes, vermicelli is used to make different kinds of dessert items, especially in the Asian regions. In India, it is used to make kheer. Kheer is widely recognized in seviyan kheer and it’s the main dish for many religious occasions.
Also, vermicelli is used to make sweet sugar-flavored milk. This milk is specially made to enjoy vermicelli along with dry foods like almonds and cardamom. You can easily make a lot of delightful desserts from this soft and noodles-looking strap.
Can I use spaghetti in a vermicelli recipe?
Spaghetti can be used in some vermicelli recipes, but not in all vermicelli recipes. If you are planning to make sweet items, then you are prohibited to use spaghetti.
But there are some custard-like desserts where in recent days, many people use spaghetti and the outcome is fine as well, but our recommendations will be not to use spaghetti in vermicelli’s dessert items.
Since Vermicelli is thin, its recipes are also based on a thin stick recipe. Spaghetti is thick and for this, you can use it for vermicelli’s pasta recipes.
Which one is more expensive, spaghetti or vermicelli?
Vermicelli is cheaper than spaghetti because spaghetti is not widely recognized as vermicelli. Spaghetti is thick and it needs specific machines to make spaghetti. But in the case of vermicelli, they can be made with just hands. Due to their thin nature, these are easy to make and can be found in almost any region of the world with economic price.
Conclusion
If you are comparing both, you can notice the difference easily. Beyond the physical shape, there are a lot of things that distinguish both. Every recipe has a different taste and every individual has a different taste preference. So according to that preference and recipe, anyone can choose their favorite variant of pasta from this two.
Although when cooked, depending on the dish they both may look identical. Do enjoy them with delicious sauces.
Enjoy your pasta!
