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The Surprising Origins Of Some Of Your Favorite Foods

The Surprising Origins Of Some Of Your Favorite Foods

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You fill your shopping cart with these items in preparation for birthdays, Super Bowl parties and family dinners. They seem like the most American items. But have you ever wondered where these familiar foods got their names? Some of the origins may surprise you.

sodahead.com
sodahead.com

Hamburger

Humans have been eating grilled beef for centuries, but only recently on the culinary timeline did we start shaping them into patties and sticking them between buns. Three groups claim to be the inventors of the hamburger. Wisconsin native Charlie Nagreen claimed to have started selling hamburgers from his ox-drawn food stand in 1885; Ohio natives Frank And Charles Menches claimed that they first sold the hamburger from their concession stand at fairs and farmer’s markets, also in 1885; Connecticut native Louis Lassen of New Haven is the first person on record to sell a hamburger from a restaurant, at his New Haven luncheonette in 1900. Source: Delish.com.

secretlifeofachefswife.com
secretlifeofachefswife.com

 

Biscuits

If you’ve traveled to the U.K., you may have noticed that when the British offer you a biscuit, you get a small cookie. That’s because the word biscuit was originally a French cooking term meaning, “cooked twice.” The term was used all throughout Europe and referred to flat, thin cookies or crackers. Source: Delish.com.

tequilagrillaz.com
tequilagrillaz.com

 

Barbecue

This sweet, salty and spicy flavor has debated origins. The French have a phrase “de barbe à queue” which means “from beard to tail.” North Carolina saw the opening of a bar called the Bar-Beer-Cue-Pig in the 19th century, which offered whiskey, beer, billiards and roast pig. Both Native American and Caribbean dialects have the word “barabicu,” which evolved into “barbacoa” in Spanish, meaning “sacred fire pit.” Source: Delish.com.

blog.hawaii.edu
blog.hawaii.edu

Sundaes

Who isn’t cheered up by an ice cream sundae? You probably attended several birthday parties revolving around the treat as a child. But did you know its origins might be in a pharmacy? In 1892, the Ithaca Daily Journal posted an ad for a pharmacy’s new ice cream specialty called the cherry Sunday. The original treat was created for a local reverend who’d come into the pharmacy after service every Sunday, and it consisted of a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with cherry syrup and candied cherry. Source: Delish.com.

foodnetwork.com
foodnetwork.com

Whoopie Pie

How did this treat get such a fun name? It’s actually a product of a demographic not necessarily associated with indulgence: the Amish. The Amish created the treat to make use of leftover cake batter. Reportedly, when children and farmers would open their lunchboxes and find this little pie, they would yell, “Whoopie!” Source: Delish.com.

chow.com
chow.com

 

Beef Wellington

After defeating Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Arthur Wellesley was named the first Duke of Wellington. The Duke’s favorite dish was a pastry filled with beef, mushrooms, truffles, Madeira wine and pâté, and the food was named in his honor. Source: InfoPlease.com.

simplyrecipes.com
simplyrecipes.com

 

Eggs Benedict

The exact origins haven’t been confirmed, but rumor has it that the first eggs benedict were made in the New York restaurant Delmonico’s. Customers were reportedly complaining the menu never changed in the establishment, and in response, the chef served up eggs on ham and a muffin covered in Hollandaise sauce. Source: InfoPlease.com.

21nogluten.wordpress.com
21nogluten.wordpress.com

Hush Puppies

These sinfully delicious, piping hot little snacks were originally intended for dogs! That’s why the recipe is so simple — it’s just cornmeal deep fried in fat — because dogs need limited-ingredient treats. The treats were given to dogs to keep them quiet, hence the name “hush puppies.” Source: cbqnc.com.

tinynewyorkitchen.com
tinynewyorkitchen.com

Nachos

The dish was originally made in Mexico, but it was made to please American visitors, and it certainly did. Today you find nachos in non-Mexican restaurants, pubs, bars and fast-food chains everywhere. The original recipe was made of whatever ingredients were left over, and the man who invented them was named Ignacio — nicknamed “Nacho.” Source: Listverse.com.

newyork.seriouseats.com
newyork.seriouseats.com

Croissant

Many believe the croissant was invented by the French, but food historians actually believe it was adapted from something called a kipferl, a crescent-shaped flaky cookie from Austria. How the kipferl became the croissant is debated, but legend has it an Austrian artillery officer opened a pastry shop in France, and eventually copycat bakers made the croissant. Source: Listverse.com.