Origins of Your Favorite All-American Foods
July 18, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Las Vegas
• 0 Comments
Origins of Your Favorite All-American Foods
It may be a cliché, but America truly is a melting pot. And nothing shows that more clearly than looking at the foods we eat. Thumb through the restaurants section of your local yellow pages and you’ll find Italian, Chinese, German, Japanese, and French restaurants along side Korean barbecue and Irish pubs. Many American culinary arts schools cover the basics of cooking in these or other cuisines.
Whether our families came over on the Mayflower or through Ellis Island, we all came from somewhere else, and we brought our food customs and traditions with us. Take a look at some of the surprising origins of some of our most cherished American foods.
Hot Dogs
Few foods are as closely associated with American cuisine than the hot dog. In the 1970s General Motors ran an ad campaign with a jingle that sang, “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet!” Many credit the invention of the hot dog to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but German immigrants were serving wienerwursts on rolls with sauerkraut as early as the 1860s. Before that, the sausage that would become the frankfurter was served in Germany as early as 1805.
Apple Pie
The other food in that GM jingle was apple pie. And while it, too, is a very American treat, it didn’t originate here. Its roots can be traced back to 14th century Europe, especially England. A recipe that traces its origins back to the court of Richard II contains apples, spices, and figs.
Ice Cream
When looking for the history of ice cream, one must look back to the sorbets created by Persians in 400 B.C.E. Frozen treats that are much closer to our modern day ice cream date back to French recipes for flavored ices in the 1670s. Its popularity grew and spread to England and eventually to the Colonies in the early 1700s. By the time of The Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ben Franklin were known to make and consume their own ice cream.
Macaroni and Cheese
This favorite of every red-blooded American child is not original to our shores. Thomas Jefferson brought a recipe for it back from a visit to France. He loved it so much that he served it at an 1802 state dinner.
Corn on the Cob
Corn is one of the largest cash crops in the U.S. We consume it on the cob, canned, frozen, as high-fructose corn syrup, and serve it to our cattle. And even though Native Americans were growing it when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, it was first cultivated by ancient Mexican civilizations nearly 7,000 years before that first Thanksgiving.
Knowing the origins of these American favorites may not help you succeed at a culinary school in Nevada, but you never know. You might be on the cusp of the next fusion cuisine sensation.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Las-Vegas for more information.
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