That greasy and salty French fries you’re snacking on looks so tasty. And that bag of crispy potato chips on the table looks enticing as well. But have you ever wondered where do these foods come from? Are French fries really came from France? Who invented your favorite movie snack potato chips?
Whether you’re a certified foodie who can’t seem to stop stuffing food in his mouth or a casual snacker, this list of interesting food origins will surely blow your mind. So, gran your bag of chips and that bottle of soda and snack on while we traverse through this article.
Origin per Country
French Fries
Alright, let’s start this list with our all-time favorite snack during Netflix and chill inside your house or condominium unit, French fries. The way we cook and flavored French fries have evolved through time and various dips and sauces were paired with our good potato friend. But you know the basic recipe by heart: thinly-sliced potatoes which are deep fried, sprinkled with salt and is served with a saucer of ketchup on the side. What a delight!
But that’s not the reason why we came here for. Ever wonder why French fries are called French fries? Well, I’m about to tell you an interesting story.
Sorry to burst out the belief of most people but French fries actually originated from Belgium. Centuries ago, people who are living along the banks of River Meuse would catch fish from the river waters and fry them for dinner. However, during the winter, the river would be frozen solid and thus fishing immediately became an impossible task.
In the absence of fishes, villagers would cut up root crops like potatoes into pieces that are small enough to resemble fishes and fry them up. It is believed that they’ve been doing this since the 1600s but it is only during the World War I when it became popular when American soldiers who were stationed in Belgium were introduced into this snack and brought it back to their country.
The French fries moniker? Well, this snack is dubbed like that because it came from the French-speaking region of Belgium. So, kindly leave France out of this French fry issue.
Fish and Chips
You might think that this snack is a British native but I hate to break it to you but it’s not. Fleeing from religious persecution, Sephardic Jews of Portugal brought this dish to the UK in the 1400s. It is prepared by coating white fish into a thin layer of flour and then deep frying it afterwards. During the 1800, fried potatoes started to become a hit and became the perfect pair of the fried fish.
The term ‘Fish and chips Friday’ even had its religious roots. Cooking is not allowed during the Sabbath Day and thus, the followers prepared foods that can last for 24 hours on Friday. One of them are cods or haddocks that were thinly coated with flour and then fried, giving birth to the phrase ‘fish and chips Friday.’
Ice Cream
Italy is extremely famous for its ice cream and gelato flavors and we can’t even blame you if you think that these classic desserts originated from the land of Italians.
Here’s an interesting story.
As Mongolian horsemen travel miles and miles in the Gobi desert, they carried with them buffalo and yak milk to serve as refreshments but when the temperature dropped, the milk froze as it churned. As the Mongolian Empire expanded its territories in the 1200s, so is the popularity of this newly-created dessert. It is said that Marco Polo took back this dessert to the Italy by the end of the 13th century.
So, to put it simply, the first ice cream were made in Mongolia—a dessert made in the desert!
Pasta
I hate to break this to you again, Italy, but you won’t be getting credits from this again. Again, contrary to popular belief, our dearest pasta didn’t come from Italy but actually originated from China. Surprising, right?
Scholars believe that pasta was introduced to the European lands because of the European travelers who first tasted the glory of noodles from the Arabs during the 13th century.
Though egg noodles have been a staple in China as early as the 1st century, the addition of durum wheat and Mediterranean flavor made pasta affordable, versatile with a longer shelf life, and a cultural icon in the Italian cuisine.
Other surprising food origins
Popsicle- I think we’re all familiar now with this story as this has been circulating around the internet and social media—how popsicles were made. But as a refresher, let me recount the story for you.
Back in 1905, 11-year old Frank Epperson accidentally left his favorite drink—soda powder combine with water—out in the harsh, winter weather complete with the stirring stick. The next day, he woke up to the accidental phenomenal creation of Popsicle stick! He kept this a secret for 18 years and only revealed it when he had enough resources to distribute it commercially.
Pink lemonade- now this is interesting. We only know lemonade as this yellow, sour-tasting drink that’s a hit during summer (or when you have that nasty cold). But when you mix in crushed strawberries, raspberry juice, or cranberry juice then you have a new concoction of this refreshing drink!
Chocolate chip cookie- When baker Ruth Wakefield ran out of baker’s chocolate and felt too lazy to run into the store and buy one, she decided to just toss in small cuts of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate into the though mixture and unexpectedly created the dessert we love now.