Everybody enjoys delicious food. However, just as food does not suddenly appear when you open and close your fridge door during midnight snacking, our favorite foods exist because they came from specific times and places. The most famous dishes together with their fundamental components share fascinating stories about where they originated.
Caesar salad
Contrary to common belief Julius Caesar did not create this famous side dish. The dish originated from Caesar Cardini who operated a Tijuana restaurant during a period of high customer demand yet he ran out of food supplies. 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. The combination of romaine with croutons and parmesan and boiled eggs proved to be a hit with his customers so he decided to keep the dish on the restaurant menu.
Corn
Corn exists as a cultivated crop because humans developed it through their breeding efforts. One study states that all the world’s corn originates from a single domestication in southern Mexico from over 9,000 years ago. The plant started as a one-inch-tall organism which farmers used selective breeding methods to develop into modern corn.
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Chocolate
The use of chocolate dates back to 450 BCE in Central America where people believed that cacao seeds represented a divine gift from the god of wisdom. People prepared the drink because they believed it would give them strength and serve as an aphrodisiac. The people in the area used cacao seeds as currency because chocolate held such high value.
Olives
Scientists have discovered proof which indicates that olive tree existence occurred during the Mediterranean region between 20 to 40 million years ago. The Minoan civilization acquired its entire wealth through trading the popular fruit which had been commercially cultivated since 3000 BCE.
Duck
The practice of hunting ducks and geese and swans and multiple kinds of waterfowl began during prehistoric times because ancient people created cave paintings from the last ice age that showed duck hunting activities. The 2,000-year-old Peruvian artwork from the opposite side of the world shows ducks being served at feast which indicates that the people of the Americas considered the bird to be a common food item.
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 simple cooking process combined with affordable prices turned it into a favored menu choice among American diners during the 19th century. 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.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is native to India and many of its neighbouring countries but gained popularity after getting imported to Egypt around 2000 BCE. The spice was so prized that it was considered a gift worthy of gods and monarchs. The spice trade maintained the secret of cinnamon's origin for more than 100 years because traders wanted to protect its value and stop other countries from obtaining the mythical product.
Rabbit
People began keeping rabbits as game animals in Spain because the species exists throughout the entire country. The name Spain actually derives from its abundance of fuzzy animals because Phoenician sailors who visited the region confused rabbits with rock hyraxes, which were native to their homeland. The region known as “i-shepan-ham” which means “land of hyraxes” eventually evolved into the name Hispania.
Popsicles
People began keeping rabbits as game animals in Spain because the species exists throughout the entire country. The name Spain actually derives from its abundance of fuzzy animals because Phoenician sailors who visited the region confused rabbits with rock hyraxes, which were native to their homeland. The region known as “i-shepan-ham” which means “land of hyraxes” eventually evolved into the name Hispania.
Wine
The practice of wine production has existed throughout history according to evidence which researchers discovered in archaeological sites around the world with their oldest finding dating back to 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. The consumption of wine has become a widely practiced ritual among various religious groups.
Tomatoes
The oldest ancestor of tomatoes is found in South America and no larger than a pea. The crop evolved into a bigger size because people cultivated the plant, which became a common ingredient in many Aztec dishes. The Spanish sailors brought the fruit to Europe, where France and Italy considered it a dangerous substance because of its association with pewter tableware that 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.
