noodles bread east west book indochina

Why does this (generalized) demarcation hold: noodles in the East; bread in the West? 

Is it because the lack of energy resources in the East (compared to the West) discouraged the use of energy hungry ovens?

I realize there's no mutual exclusivity here (there's bread in the East, noodles (esp. pasta) in the West), but it seems like the history of bread is so much more rich in the West.

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