The main difference between vermicelli and angel hair is thickness; angel hair is even thinner than vermicelli. Due to this difference, angel hair cooks very quickly compared to vermicelli. Another difference is their uses: you can often find angel hair in Italian recipes, while vermicelli is in various Asian dishes.
Vermicelli and angel hair also differ in their serving styles; vermicelli works well in salads, desserts, and summer rolls and is usually served cold, while angel hair is commonly served hot. Vermicelli is made from rice or starch, while angel hair is made with durum semolina flour.
While you can use vermicelli and angel hair interchangeably, they are not the same. Read on to learn everything about these thin and long pasta types.
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What Are Vermicelli?
Vermicelli is a long, thin kind of pasta. The rather unfortunate translation of its name is "little worms."
It has been known since the 14th century, and the first vermicelli recipes have been compiled in the 15th century by Martino da Como, who was a celebrity chef of this age.
In English-speaking countries, vermicelli are thinner than spaghetti - vermicelli have a diameter of fewer than 0.06 inches, whereas spaghetti are between 0.06 and 0.11 inches thick.
In Italy, though, spaghetti are between 0.076 and 0.079 inches thick and vermicelli can be up to 0.091 inches thick, making them the more substantial one of these two pasta shapes.
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To make matters even more confusing, there are different kinds of vermicelli all over the world. Italian vermicelli are made of durum semolina, whereas Asian vermicelli are made of rice.
Asian glass noodles, which are made from mung bean starch or sweet potato starch, are often sold as vermicelli outside of Asia, too, even though in their countries of origin all the kinds of Asian noodles that we only know as noodles or vermicelli have their own specific names.
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Vermicelli are often used in soups, as well as cold in salads. You will also find them as a filling in spring rolls and summer rolls.
Due to their very short cooking time, they are also a popular healthy alternative to instant cup noodles.
Due to their lightness and their subtle, unobtrusive taste, vermicelli are also often used in sweet desserts, like in the Indian kheer and the Persian faloodeh.
In Switzerland, vermicelles is a dessert consisting of sweet chestnut paste.
Instead of their original length, you can also buy "broken" vermicelli. These short bits go well with recipes in which you could also use rice.
You might also have heard of chocolate vermicelli, which is not to be confused with chocolate pasta, instead, it simply refers to chocolate sprinkles that are used to decorate cakes and has nothing to do with noodles.
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What Is Angel Hair Pasta?
"Angel hair" is the literal translation of the Italian "capelli d'angelo." It is a very thin pasta, with a diameter of only between 0.031 and 0.035 inches, which makes it the thinnest of all Italian pasta shapes.
Angel's hair is often sold in the classic "bird's nest" shape because it is too delicate to be stored in single strands.
Its thin and dainty shape goes well with light sauces, seafood, or fresh vegetables. It is recommended not to overburden an angel hair dish with too many ingredients; less is more with this pasta shape.
Often, it is also used in one-pot dishes, where the pasta is cooked directly in the sauce. This works well for tomato or cream sauces that contain enough moisture to prepare the angel hair pasta.
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Vermicelli vs Angel Hair
Aside from the fact that vermicelli are a bit thicker than angel hair pasta, there is not much difference between them, and many recipes suggest substituting one for the other when your local supermarket does not have the variety you need.
The biggest difference is that between rice vermicelli and angel hair made of durum flour. This makes rice vermicelli gluten-free.
Asian noodles also often have not a strong taste and instead take up the taste of their sauce of soup very well. Therefore, they go so well with spicy soups or curries.