Foods That are Not International
Food that is American-made
Arizona
Chimichangas did not originate in Mexico. This happened quite by surprise at the El Charro Cafe in Arizona in 1950. The chef made a mistake by tossing a burrito in hot oil. She wanted to cuss her mistake but with kids around she simply shouted, “Chimichanga!” and the creation was born. Up until that time no one had thought to deep-fry a burrito.
California
There you are sitting in your favorite Chinese restaurant enjoying the food. You're looking forward to the fortune cookies and hoping to get a fortune to change your luck. However, if you thought that fortune cookies originated in China you would be wrong.
Fortune cookies originated in California. In 1914 in his San Francisco teahouse Makoto Hagiware invented fortune cookies or it could have been David Jung who did it first in his noodle shop in Los Angeles in 1918. Nothing definite has been proved except that fortune cookies originated in the US state of California.
Another creation coming from California is the French dip sandwich. In 1918 Phillipe Mathieu opened a deli and sandwich shop in Los Angeles. By mistake one day he dropped a sandwich roll into the drippings on a roasting pan. When served to a customer who enjoyed the extra juice a lot a new sandwich had been born the – French dip sandwich.
Chinese Chicken Salad was not brought to the US by the Chinese. It made its first appearance in California in the 1960s and consists of pieces of cold chicken tossed with shredded cabbage or lettuce, fried wonton strips or rice vermicelli, and other ingredients topped by a sesame or peanut dressing. The creation originated in the Madame Wu restaurant in Santa Monica, California owned by Sylvia Cheng Wu.
Florida
The next time you're biting into a delicious Cuban sandwich keep in mind that sandwich has been nowhere near Cuba. It originated in either Miami or Tampa, Florida. Cuban sandwiches were created to offer a cheap lunch option to Cuban immigrants who worked in cigar factories in Florida in the late 1800s. You can still get the best Cuban sandwiches in this state.
Massachusetts
You never had to go to Germany to enjoy German chocolate cake. The inventor was a Boston baker named Sam German who created a new type of baking chocolate that was sweet and dark for the Baker Chocolate Company in 1852 and 100 years later a newspaper in Dallas, Texas popularized the recipe for German Chocolate Cake.
Michigan
The next time you're enjoying delicious garlic bread don't thank the chefs in Italy. Garlic bread was created in Michigan. The story goes that soldiers who had served in Italy during WW II missed eating the classic Italian dish bruschetta prepared with toasted bread, drizzled with olive oil and toppings such as tomatoes. The chefs in Michigan decided to delight the returning soldiers by taking toasted white bread and topping it with garlic and margarine. In 1970 Cole's Foods made it easier for everyone to enjoy garlic bread any time they wanted to by selling the world's first frozen garlic bread.
New Hampshire
OK, so it does sound funny to say that Russian dressing has nothing to do with Russia, but it doesn't. Russian dressing is the creation of a grocer named James E. Colburn in the US state of New Hampshire who created this ketchup and mayo-based dressing in 1924.
New York
Hey, I'm not making these things up for your amusement. The ever-popular English Muffins never came from England. It all started at the New York Bakery in 1880 when Samuel Bath Thomas gave his creation “toaster crumpets” their debut. Later the term became English Muffins and the Thomas is still on the packages.
The next time you're digging into a plateful of General Tso's Chicken you can be sure of two things. One is that it was named after Chinese statesman General Tso Tsung-t'ang and luckily shortened or it would be hard to ask for the dish and the second thing is that it was created in New York City.
Finally, New York can also take the credit for creating Pasta Primavera a popular pasta dish. The dish started to become popular in the 1970s and is made with pasta, cream, cheese, and fresh vegetables. It first appeared as an off-menu specialty at the New York City restaurant Le Cirque and later featured in The New York Times.
Please don't argue with me when I tell you that Hagen-Dazs Ice Cream is not from Denmark. It isn't but guess where it originated? Back in 1960 the head of a company selling ice cream, a Polish-Jewish immigrant Reuben Mattus doing business in the borough The Bronx in New York City decided to produce a line of premium ice creams and wanted them to have a Danish-sounding name. Not even speaking Danish or knowing anything about the language Mattus finally came up with Haagen-Dazs and even though the words meant nothing in Danish the early cartons of the ice cream had a picture of a map of Denmark.
About the Creator
Rasma Raisters
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
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Deep inside the Emerald Forest, where trees touched the sky and sunlight danced between leaves, lived animals of every kind—deer, birds, elephants, monkeys, and even tiny ants. For generations, they lived in peace. But everything changed the day Raghu, the fiercest lion, became the self-proclaimed King of the Emerald Forest. Raghu was powerful, with a mane dark as midnight and claws that could slice bark like butter. At first, the animals respected him because of his strength. But soon, fear replaced respect. Raghu began to think strength was everything. He hunted not only when he was hungry but whenever he felt bored or angry. The forest grew silent. Animals hid in their burrows. Birds stopped singing. Even the wind seemed afraid to blow. One evening, the animals gathered near the Great Banyan Tree. “This cannot go on,” said an old deer. “If Raghu keeps hunting like this, soon none of us will be left,” whispered a mother squirrel. “Someone must stop him,” cried the parrot. But everyone knew the truth: no one could fight the lion. After hours of discussion, the animals made a plan. They decided that instead of letting Raghu hunt freely, they would send one animal to him each day as his meal. It sounded cruel, but it was the only way to save the rest. When the idea was presented to the lion, Raghu smirked. “Good,” he said. “At least you now understand your place.” Every day, one unlucky animal was chosen. Some went crying, some went silently, and some tried to run but were brought back. The forest lived in sorrow. One afternoon, when the sky shone gold and birds returned to their nests, the forest elders approached Rumi, a small grey rabbit known for her intelligence. “Rumi,” said the owl gently, “tomorrow is your turn.” The animals waited for tears or panic—but Rumi simply nodded. “I may be small,” she said, “but brains are not measured in kilograms.” The animals were shocked. “What do you mean?” asked the deer. “You will see,” Rumi replied with a mysterious smile. The next morning, Rumi set off slowly toward Raghu’s cave. She hopped leisurely, stopping to nibble grass, smell flowers, and even rest under a mushroom. By noon, she was still nowhere near the lion’s den. Back in the cave, Raghu paced without patience. “Where is my meal? How dare they keep a king waiting!” he roared, shaking the forest. Birds trembled on branches. Just then, Rumi appeared, tiny and calm. “You are late,” Raghu growled. “Give me one reason not to tear you apart right now.” Rumi bowed politely. “Great King, I tried to come on time. But another lion stopped me.” Raghu’s eyes widened. “Another lion? In my forest?” “Yes,” Rumi said, trembling just the right amount to seem convincing. “He said he is the true king. He even claimed that you are weak.” Raghu’s pride flared like wildfire. “Impossible! No one challenges me and lives! Take me to him at once!” Rumi led the furious lion deep into the forest. Instead of following the main path, she guided him through thorny bushes, slippery slopes, and rocky streams. “Where is he?” Raghu demanded. “Near the old stone well,” Rumi replied, pointing ahead. They reached the abandoned well, covered in moss. The water inside was still and dark like a mirror. Rumi whispered, “He is inside. He claimed he can defeat you.” Raghu, blinded by rage, marched to the edge and peered inside. At the bottom, he saw the reflection of a lion—his own reflection—but he did not understand. The reflection roared back because of the echo. Raghu roared louder. The echo answered louder. “He mocks me!” Raghu snarled. Without another thought, he leapt into the well to attack his “enemy.” With a huge splash, the water swallowed him. Rumi watched quietly. A few moments passed. Then silence. The mighty lion, who had terrorized the entire forest, could not climb out. The well was deep, and Raghu was gone. Rumi hopped to the edge and whispered, “Strength is nothing without wisdom.” When she returned to the forest, the animals were waiting anxiously. “Where is the lion?” they cried. “With the reflection he tried to defeat,” Rumi said playfully, “at the bottom of the old well.” The forest erupted in cheers. Monkeys jumped from tree to tree. Peacocks danced. Birds filled the sky with songs. The elephant lifted Rumi on his back and declared, “From today, Rumi is the Guardian of the Emerald Forest!” The forest came alive again. The trees felt taller. The wind blew freely. Flowers bloomed brighter than ever. From that day onward, whenever a young animal complained about being small or weak, the elders would smile and say: “Do not fear. Remember Rumi—the tiny rabbit who saved an entire forest.”
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Comments (3)
very interesting, will definitely try out👌
OMG...well, I never. What a croc we been thinking all these things to be foreign. Well schooled are we now. Who Knew? Danke schon,..wait, is that even German? 😁
That was interesting. Well done.