The Best foods and their intriguing origins

Lasagna

Although synonymous with Italian food, lasagna’s origins come from Greece where the Greek word “lasagnum” means dish or bowl. The Romans would begin making their own version of the dish and slowly change the recipe over time before eventually adding their own layered cheeses and sauce and turning it into the comfort food we recognize today.

SandwichThe sandwich is deeply associated with John Montagu, 4th earl of Sandwich, a British statesman who is said to have one day been so focused on a game of gambling between friends that instead of pausing for food, he ordered servants to bring him a piece of meat stuffed between slices of toast. Other people at the table loved the creation so much that they began requesting their own and referring to it as the “Sandwich.”

Ketchup

Although these days ketchup is synonymous with tomatoes, the earliest versions of ketchup used some very different ingredients. In sixth-century China, the condiment was created with fermented fish parts and salt before British traders found it over 1,000 years later and made their own versions with peaches, oysters, and mushrooms. It wasn’t until 1812 that someone added tomatoes to ketchup, which would thankfully go on to become the norm.

Tomatoes

The oldest ancestor of tomatoes is found in South America and no larger than a pea. Over time, the farming of the crop helped it grow to a larger size and it was used in many Aztec dishes. Spanish sailors brought the fruit back to Europe, where other nations such as France and Italy believed it was poisonous due to an interaction with the plates made of pewter that many aristocrats used. The acidic juice of tomatoes would cause lead from within the pewter plates to leach out and thus poison the diner, which would then be blamed on the tomato rather than the plate itself.

Wine

Evidence of wine production is found throughout the globe across history, with the oldest being from 6000 BCE in Georgia. Many believe that humans would fill large containers with grapes and after a few days, fermentation would set in and produce a low-alcohol liquid at the bottom that would give people a buzz they believed to be rooted in religious connection to the heavens. It’s no surprise then that the consumption of wine is a popular ritual across several religions

Popsicles

Popsicles originated out of California when an 11-year-old boy left a mixing stick in a cup of water and powdered soda out on the porch overnight. When he returned in the morning, the sweet mixture had frozen and tasted delicious so he began making them for his friends. Years later, his children grew to love the treats which they named Pop’s ’sicles. Soon after he would patent the invention and begin selling them across the country.

Rabbit

The game-keeping of rabbits is said to have begun in Spain where the animal is naturally prevalent across the nation. In fact, one theory states that Spain’s name may even come from its abundance of the fuzzy animal, as Phoenician sailors mistook rabbits for the rock hyrax mammal that was native to their home. They named the region “i-shepan-ham,” meaning “land of hyraxes,” which over time may have evolved into the name Hispania.

Hamburger

The hamburger has its origins in the Hamburg steak, a salted and fried patty made from chopped beef, eggs, bread crumbs, onions, and various types of seasoning. The ease of preparation and low costs made it a popular restaurant item in 19th-century America. The discussion of who was the first to put it between two buns is controversial but most theories point to street vendors from between 1885 and 1904, suggesting that the hamburger sandwich may be a product of many people having the same idea.

Duck

The hunting of ducks, geese, swan, and various other waterfowl creatures goes back to prehistoric times with cave paintings from the last ice age, and murals within Egyptian tombs all showing people duck hunting. Even on the other side of the world, 2,000-year-old art out of Peru depicts ducks being used in feasts, suggesting that the animal was a staple in the Americas as well.

Olives

Evidence has been found to show that olive trees existed between 20-40 million years ago within the Mediterranean. They were grown commercially as far back as 3000 BCE and may have even been entirely responsible for the Minoan civilization’s wealth as they traded the popular fruit with others.

Chocolate

The use of chocolate dates back to 450 BCE in Central America where many believed that cacao seeds were a gift from the god of wisdom. It was once prepared as a drink that was thought not only to provide strength, but also work as an aphrodisiac. Chocolate was so valuable that the cacao seeds were often even used as currency throughout the region.

Pizza Marinara

The popular style of Neapolitan pizza comes served with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and oregano. The origin of the name comes as the dish was most often served by mariners’ wives, also known as “la marina”, who would have the hearty and warming dish ready for their husbands as they returned home from fishing expeditions.

Corn

Corn, or maize as it’s known by many, is not a naturally occurring crop but rather one that had to be bred through human intervention. One study states that all the world’s corn originates from a single domestication in southern Mexico from over 9,000 years ago. Originally, the plant was only about an inch long but selective breeding by the farmers who grew it helped mutate corn into the size it is today.

Caesar salad

Contrary to popular belief, Julius Caesar was not involved in the creation of this popular side dish. Instead it can be attributed to Caesar Cardini, who was running a restaurant in Tijuana when he began to run out of food during a busier-than-normal weekend. His solution was to grab what little ingredients he had left and toss them table side into a chef’s salad that he referred to as a Caesar salad. Needless to say, his diners that night loved the combination of romaine, croutons, parmesan and boiled eggs so the dish stayed on the menu.

Coffee

Many stories surround the origin of coffee, with one stating that it was first discovered in Ethiopia over 1,000 years ago when a goat herder noticed his animals becoming excited after eating the beans from a coffee plant. Thinking he’d found something from the heavens, he presented the beans to local monks, who thought they were the devil’s work and tossed the beans into a fire. The wonderful smell of roasting coffee beans filled the room, and the tea-drinking monks then poured water over the crushed beans, immediately falling in love with the new drink.

Watermelon

Watermelon originated out of various African countries with ancient seeds being found in 5,000-year-old archaeological sites as well as within the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Evidence suggests that watermelons were originally not only a food source, but also used as a way of storing water.