 In Martino's "Libro de arte coquinaria", there are several recipes for vermicelli, which can last two or three years ("doi o tre anni") when dried in the sun.Vermicelli, called "she'reya" (شعريه) in Arabic, is used in one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Egypt.The vermicelli is browned by frying with oil or butter, then rice and water are added.