14 American Dishes with Origins You’d Never Guess
After all, America is known as a melting pot of cultures — and nowhere is that more true than at the dinner table. The backstories of many of the country’s most beloved dishes might astound you. Some of these culinary classics are the result of the journey across continents, borrowing a bit of this and a bit of that and creating something entirely unexpected.
You may think you know where your favorite dishes come from but you don’t. These dishes are full of more history than you expect: from happy kitchen accidents to unexpected international influences. Get ready to discover how international flavors made their way to American plates, proving that great food knows no boundaries.
French fries
Although it’s called French fries, they didn’t come from France. Belgium lays claim to being the birthplace of this crunchy salty treat. Belgians were frying fish in the 1600s and, when rivers froze in winter, had potatoes to substitute. These golden wonders were found by American soldiers during World War I and brought back home, where they were mistakenly called ‘French,’ since Belgium was a French speaking country.
Hamburgers
The all-American burger has its roots in Germany. In particular, Hamburg, where minced beef patties were a common dish in the 19th century. The idea came to the U.S. with German immigrants, but it wasn’t until someone slapped the patty between two buns that it became the handheld icon we know and love today.
Apple pie
Sorry, folks, but apple pie isn’t quite as American as we like to think. The recipes date back to the 14th century and it originated in England. The dish was brought by early colonists to the New World, where it has since become a symbol of Americana.
Hot dogs
We all know hot dogs scream ‘baseball game’ and ‘summer cookout,’ but their German roots should come as no surprise. For centuries sausages have been a staple there and German immigrants brought their beloved frankfurters to the U.S. in the 1800s. A later American addition: the bun.
Macaroni and cheese
This fancy origin story makes this comfort food classic. According to folklore, Thomas Jefferson, a foodie of his day, came upon a version of mac and cheese during his travels to Italy. He brought the recipe back to the U.S. where it quickly caught on, and was soon an American favorite, and included in early American cookbooks.
Fortune cookies
Fortune cookies, although associated with Chinese food, actually originated in California. In the early 20th century Japanese immigrants introduced a similar cookie, and later Chinese American restaurants adopted them. The fortunes? That’s all American flair.
Chili
Is chili straight out of Texas? Think again. This dish traces its roots to Mexican cuisine, especially those hearty stews of northern Mexico. Spanish influences also contributed to the dish, mixing flavors together to create the spicy meaty dish we now see at cook offs and diners nationwide.
Banana split
No, this iconic ice cream dessert did not start on some tropical island — it was born in Pennsylvania. An ambitious pharmacy apprentice decided in 1904 to make a dessert that would wow his customers. The result? A Banana split sundae.
Barbecue
Although barbecue is an American tradition, its origins go back to the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The word comes from a term for slow cooking meat on a wooden platform called barbacoa. Such cooking style spread in time and grew into the modern regional barbecue traditions.
Donuts
In America, early Dutch settlers introduced “olykoeks,” or “oil cakes,” fried dough balls that became a beloved staple. The hole-in-the-middle innovation came maybe to help them cook more evenly, or maybe because someone felt creative.
Chicken fried steak
The origins of this Southern classic are Austrian. Essentially, It’s an American twist on wiener schnitzel, introduced by German and Austrian immigrants. They used beef instead of veal and created a comfort food.
Potato chips
Potato chips were accidentally invented in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1853. A picky customer kept sending his fried potatoes back because they were “too thick,” so annoyed by him, a chef sliced them paper thin out of spite. The rest is snack history and the customer loved them.
Cobb salad
Cobb Salad was invented in Hollywood in the 1930s. They say a restaurant owner named Robert Cobb threw together leftovers from the kitchen — lettuce, bacon, chicken, eggs, and blue cheese — and accidentally created a masterpiece.
Peanut butter
Native Americans were grinding peanuts into paste long before it became the creamy staple we know today: peanut butter has Native American roots, but modern peanut butter was popularized by a Canadian chemist in the late 1800s.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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