Noodles are said to have been invented in China more than 4,000 years ago, with some accounts claiming Marco Polo brought them to Italy during the 13th century.
If this is true, Italian-Chinese fusion should feel like a natural pairing.
However, even slight deviations from Italian recipes have been known to spark fierce objections from traditionalists on the internet and beyond.
But for one MasterChef Italia contestant, the courage to blend the two cuisines and break from tradition was the thing that ultimately led her to victory.
In February, Italian-Chinese cook Anna Zhang Yilan was crowned the winner of the 14th season of MasterChef Italia. She was the first ethnically Chinese contestant to win the Italian TV cooking contest.
The 33-year-old is based in Milan, where she was born, and Venice.