The words "pasta" and "noodles" are often used interchangeably. If you want to get technical, there are slight differences. Mostly, it comes down to the type of flour that is used. Traditionally, pasta is made from durum wheat that is ground into semolina flour. Semolina flour has a yellow color that gives pasta a yellowish hue. Durum wheat is high in gluten, which helps pasta hold its shape and have an al dente texture. Some types of pasta have egg in the dough, others just have flour and water. Noodles often have a softer and more slippery texture than pasta. They are often long in shape, but noodles can also be short (like egg noodles). Noodles differ from pasta in that they can be made from different types of flour: semolina flour, all purpose flour, rice flour, bean flour and other flours. The color ranges from yellow to tan or a pale white. The texture can be al dente, or softer. A good example is rice flour (or pad thai) noodles.