Every country has traditional meals that have modified their cuisine that is consumed all over the world. What are the dishes which changed America? Some of the meals you will find on the list may not be popular worldwide, but they have definitely played a role in American culture. Are you hungry? Let’s check out these 11 tasty meals over the course of history.
1. Hot Dog – 1916
The inventor of hot dog, one of the most famous meals in the States, was German immigrant Nathan Handwerker. He was a low-level employee at Feltman’s German Gardens on Coney Island.
Initially, hot dogs were two expensive – 10 cents – and he was Nathan was challenged to improve its quality and reduce the price to 5 cents, which he did and that was how the original hot dog was made, and Feltman’s became famous around the country.
To get the facts straight, hot dogs already existed, but that was the point when it went worldwide, and that is why this man is considered to be the “inventor.”
2. The Reuben – 1920
The origin of the Reuben is still debatable, but writer Elizabeth Weil wrote an article in New York Times claiming that her grandfather invented the Ruben. Namely, Blackstone Hotel customer Reuben Kulakofsky asked for a sandwich with corned beef and sauerkraut.
She wrote: “In the kitchen, my grandfather, who spent the previous year perfecting his sauces and ice-carving skills, drained the sauerkraut and mixed it with Thousand Island dressing,” adding: “The sandwich was a hit.”
Whether this story is true or not, it is nice to pin it to the sandwich. Whoever invented the Reuben, we thank him as this meal shaped America and it is still one of the most popular dishes, after almost 100 years. If Weil’s story is to be believed, the original sandwich can still be tried Across the street of the Blackstone.
3. The Pitts-burger – 1933
Blue-collar workers, especially the ones who worked at the docks used to visit Primanti’s in Pittsburgh. The restaurant’s spokesperson Ryan Wilkinson the Pitts-burger was invented by a customer. One of the workers appeared one day with a sack of potatoes, and he wanted to check whether they were still frozen or not.
Wilkinson continued: “They let him chop them up and stick them on the grill. Someone saw the freshly grilled potato slices and decided they wanted them on their sandwich.” This was when Pitts-burger was completed, and it remained unchanged ever since.
“Even though we didn’t mean to at the time, we really reinvented what a sandwich could be,” Wilkinson said. “It wasn’t just about mustard and bologna on a roll anymore. This is a meal.” Just the addition of French fries to a sandwich made a huge difference. Still, it was a revolutionary move back in 1930s, during the Great Depression.
4. Fried Chicken – 1940
In his days, Harland Sanders wanted people from every state to try a bucked of fried chicken. He had a vision. He wanted the chicken to be the same in every part of the country, and he had all the ingredients – a secret recipe and the unique frying system which would make the wings crispy.
It took Sanders 12 years to establish a restaurant after this invention, but today KFC operates in every corner of the world.
Kevin Hochman, US President of KFC, says: “Part of how he grew the company was by developing solid franchise partnerships across the US, some of which are still in place today. Ensuring they make our hand-prepared world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken consistently in our kitchens across the US is no easy feat.”
5. Concrete – 1959
Restaurant Ted Drewes sells custard instead of ice cream, and they are the inventors of concrete. Even though this place has existed since 1929, it was in the late 1950s that the concrete was invented. And just like it is the case with every great meal or snack it was by accidents.
People wanted shake to be made as thick as possible and what Ted Jr. Did was mixed the toppings with the custard, but he didn’t add milk. When asked whether the custard was thick enough, one of the neighboring kids said: “That’s just like concrete.”
Everything else is made based on this concrete – DQ Blizzard, McDonald’s McFlurry, Shake Shack concrete, etc. “It is as American as a Bobby Thompson home run, an Ed Macauley hook shot or a Ted Drewes ‘concrete’ on a hot summer night,” as it is written by Post-Dispatch.
6. Peking Duck – 1961
To learn more about Chinese food, the Americans had to wait for Cecilia Chiang to open the restaurant called The Mandarin in 1961.
Chiang wanted to bring the flavors of northern China, but this was a gamble because as she told PBS in 2015: “I didn’t know what Americans like or don’t like. I just remembered what I had before in my life and put everything on the menu.” Peking Duck entered the US menus after that.
7. Egg McMuffin – 1972
Plenty of meals at McDonald’s scream America, but one of the most Americanized is definitely Egg McMuffin. The creator of this unique muffin is Herb Peterson, who wanted to show Ray Kroc the process of making personally. Kroc said: “He didn’t want me to reject it out of hand, which I might have done, because it was a crazy idea. I boggled a bit at the presentation. But then I tasted it, and I was sold.”
How McMuffin revolutionized America, explains Joel Jensen, food historian and sandwich expert: “McDonald’s came out with the McMuffin in the early ’70s, and it became a known and available commodity all over the country. Now, everyone in the country could drive a couple miles and get a breakfast sandwich. It was introduced into the cultural consciousness.”
8. Chocolate Lava Cake – 1981
Chocolate Lava Cake was introduced in 1981, and the man behind it was Michel Bras. He said: “I wanted to translate the emotion evoked by coming home to find a mug of hot chocolate after a day of skiing.”
Even though it originated in France, the chocolate lava cake quickly became one of the favorite sweets for the Americans.
9. Avocado Toast – 1993
The meal which couldn’t be simpler took over social media, and the man to thank comes from Sydney, Australia, and he is called Bill Granger.
He chose the right time to add the avocado toast to the menu of his restaurant. It was the time of the health food craze, and the meal became popular worldwide. Everybody can make this meal, and the Americans adore it in particular.
10. Eggs Benedict – 2000
Eggs Benedict is another meal everyone has heard of. Once again, simplicity is the key to success. The poached yolk is combined with deep-fried mayonnaise and hollandaise was easy to make. And more about the eggs you can learn from the man with the idea.
“We didn’t want to mess with the way eggs Benedict tasted because there’s nothing wrong with it — in fact, it’s great. We wanted someone to go, ‘That doesn’t look like eggs Benedict!’” said Dufresne. “The idea was if you close your eyes, and you take a piece of the hollandaise, and a piece of the egg yolk, and a little bit of the ham and the chive in your mouth — whatever any individual’s eggs Benedict memory is, they should be able to tap into it.”
11. Crab Toast – 2010
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s crab toast was made at his home for the first time. After that, it was transferred to the ABC Kitchen, and it became loved all over America.
Vongerichten said: “It is basically crab, lemon aioli, and grilled bread. I made it for some guests at my house, and they loved it. It has become a very popular dish so that we can never take it off the menu,” said the chef after they served the meal in the restaurant for a while.
