Have you ever been eating or drinking something delicious and have that passing thought, “who invented this masterpiece?”. Well, find comfort in knowing that you are not alone! I too had that very thought about some of my favorite foods. So, I decided to do my research and find out for myself, who invented that?
Who invented the cheeseburger?
A classic cheeseburger consists of ground beef patty (typically cooked on a grill), an American cheese slice, lettuce, tomato, and onion with pickles and ketchup all layered between a sesame seed bun. Today, cheeseburgers come in any combination of ingredients that you can imagine (and some you may have never thought of)! Cheeseburgers are commonly served with a side of French fries or onion rings.
So, who invented this amazing juicy burger? It is believed that hamburgers were already a popular meal option in 19th century America. One theory of how the cheeseburger was invented starts in 1926 at a sandwich shop in Pasadena, CA. It is believed that a young boy (16 years old) by the name of Lionel Sternberger was working with his father at his sandwich shop called “The Right Spot”. He had decided to add a slice of American cheese to a hamburger in process, thus creating the cheeseburger! Lionel Sternberger had a plaque dedicated to him for this creation in January of 2017. While there are other theories floating around about the origin of the cheeseburger, I choose to believe this one as truth.
Who invented pizza?
Classic pizza as we know it today consists of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced pepperoni. However, nearly any ingredients you can think of can be or have been added to it in some way or another.
There are a lot of controversial statements and claims regarding who really invented pizza. If you ask nearly anyone in American you will likely hear that American invented pizza. If you ask Italian then you will likely hear that pizza originated in Italy. You may even hear claims that pizza originated from the Egyptians. But, what is the truth?
According to www.history.com, flatbreads topped with oil and herbs were popular with the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. However, pizza, as we know it today, originated in Naples, Italy in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The pizza was created by lower-class families as an inexpensive and cost-effective meal option. They consisted of cheese, anchovies, tomatoes, garlic, and oil. It was widely looked down upon by middle and upper-class families until around the 1940s. The pizza was eventually accepted after King Umberto I and Queen Margherita requested it and approved it.
Pizza recipes were brought to America by Neapolitan immigrants in search of factory jobs. In fact, pizza began being made and served throughout Boston, Manhattan, Chicago, St. Louis, and New Haven.
Who invented the egg roll?
Egg rolls are a popular American Chinese take-out side dish. They consist of chopped cabbage, pork, carrots, and various other vegetables. Some restaurants offer shrimp egg rolls (which replaced the pork for shrimp) vegetable egg rolls (which eliminates meat altogether) and spring rolls.
Like many of our favorite dishes, there are several theories as to the origin of the egg roll. Most of them, however, agree that they were invented by Chinese Americans rather than original to China. There are several people in 1930s New York City that take credit for the egg roll. The following are two of them.
- Lung Fong of Lung Fong’s
- Henry Low of Port Arthur’s
There is even a recipe for egg rolls in Henry Low’s cookbook “Cook at home in Chinese” which was printed in 1938.
Who invented the taco?
Tacos can come in either a soft white flour tortilla or a crunchy corn tortilla. The insides are usually ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole or salsa, and Mexican spices.
The origin of tacos is also a mystery. However, we know that tacos were commonly enjoyed filled with fish by the indigenous people living along the lake region of the Valley of Mexico. The dish was documented by Spanish Conquistador, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, after a feast hosted by Hernan Cortez. Though it is clear the dish had been made long before this encounter.
