There are a bunch of popular foods from all over the world, such as pizza, spaghetti, kimchi, donuts, and many more. But have you ever thought about how these popular foods were created? In this article, we will let you know about unique histories behind popular foods across the globe.
Nacho
Nachos were found for the very first time in Mexico back in 1943. During World War II, a small city named Texas Eagle Pass was home to a US Air Force training base. And soldiers’ wives often crossed the border to Piedras Negras in Mexico to look for food. At one point, 4 women came into the El Moderno Restaurant for drinks and snacks. But the waitress there, Ignacio Anaya, could not find the cook. So Ignacio went into the kitchen, slicing tortillas into quarters, adding cheese, and slicing jalapenos.
When Ignacio served the dish, the 4 women really loved the cheese chips and they wanted to know what it is called so that they can order it again next time. Ignacio was then named in nacho’s especial. Nacho itself is Ignacio’s nickname. Then, nachos became the most popular appetizer in El Moderno.
Donuts
Donuts were first made in the mid-19th century. At that time, the Dutch made olykoeks, which are ball-shaped cakes fried in lard. Since the center of the cake did not cook as quickly as the outside part, sometimes the cake was topped with nuts, fruits, or anything. At one point, Elizabeth Gregory, who was a mother of a New England Ship Captain, was preparing fried bread dough for the crew to enjoy on their voyage. She filled the dough with hazelnut and called it donuts.
In 1847, her son, Hanson Gregory, removed the center of the bread because it was undercooked. Then, in the process of cooking the donuts, he always made a hole in the middle of it so that the dough could be cooked evenly. This is the history why the original donuts are always holed in the middle.
California Roll
California Roll was first invented by a sushi restaurant chef in California named Ichiro Mashita. Ichiro intended to replace otoro with avocado cream because otoro was expensive and hard to find in California. Another competitor, Hidekazu Tojo, a Japanese sushi chef who emigrated to Canada in the 1970s, also claimed that he invented the roll that was originally called tojo-maki because Western people did not like the taste of raw fish and seaweed.
So Hidekazu eventually replaced it with crab and cooked avocados. Regardless of who invented California Roll, this sushi is a gateway to a wider appreciation of sushi for many Westerners. This is also what makes sushi restaurants thrive in Western countries.
Sandwich
John Montagu was a gambler. He was not willing to leave his poker even for a meal. One day, he asked a waitress to give him 2 slices of toast filled with meat in the middle so that he did not have to leave the game. After that, his friends began to ask for the same dish and called it a sandwich.