Today’s Version Is Nothing Like The Original
Some of the world's most recognizable foods didn't become famous by staying exactly the way they started. Chefs, immigrants, restaurant owners, manufacturers, and home cooks have repeatedly taken familiar ingredients and changed the recipe, preparation, or presentation until something entirely new emerged. The result is a fascinating collection of foods that people now consider classics, even though their modern versions can look very different from their original forms.
1. Pizza
Pizza started out relatively plain, but it was American tastes and kitchens that gave us oversized slices, thick crusts, extra cheese, new toppings, and regional varieties that are barely recognizable to natives of Naples. Chicago deep-dish, New York-style slices, Detroit-style pizza … the varieties are endless.
2. Sushi
Sushi has been around for thousands of years in Asia. However, the sushi many Americans love today has been Americanized by Japanese chefs who moved abroad. The California roll removed the feared raw fish altogether, substituting cooked crab or imitation crab, and it flipped the fish inside-out, putting the rice on the outside.
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3. Tacos
Authentic tacos come in hundreds of shapes and sizes across Mexico, but the hard-shell taco is pure America. Ground beef, lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and canned seasoning make this taco version easy to manufacture and easy to recognize. Fast-food restaurants spread hard-shell tacos across the country, making them one of America’s favorite snacks.
4. Fried Chicken
Few would argue that fried chicken is an American staple. What is debatable is how it became that way. Recipes have changed over hundreds of years, but once fried chicken became the supermarket-seasoned flour, pressure-fried, spice-specific, fast-food product we know today, it spread across menus and advertising.
5. Macaroni and Cheese
Mixing pasta and cheese is simple enough, but American cooks upgraded basic macaroni by layering on the creamy factor. Cheese sauces and processed cheese allowed kitchens to whip up smooth, velvety mac-and-cheese that could be packaged and distributed.
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chips were not part of cookie recipes until the Toll House Inn made chocolate chip cookies famous. The story goes that Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the cookie by chopping up bits of chocolate and mixing them into cookie dough. Cookies nowadays are made with perfectly uniform chocolate chips sold by the bag.
7. Hamburger
Ground beef patties aren’t a new invention, but the hamburger rose to fame in America due to several claims and outside influences. Placing the cooked patty on a bun made the meal easy to eat on the go without utensils. Affordable and quick to serve, hamburger joints utilized assembly-line processes to make the hamburger America’s most popular meal.
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8. Hot Dogs
Frankfurters, wieners, Goody Dogs. Whatever you call them, Americans take their sausages thinly sliced and nestled in a long bun. German immigrants brought sausage-making to America, but innovation at baseball games and street-vendor stands led to the hot dog we know today.
9. Apple Pie
Apple pie originated in Europe, but over time Americans have perfected a recipe that screams “USA!” Early pies were actually more like tarts with less sugar and spice. Sweet apples, rich butter crusts, and American favorites like cinnamon and nutmeg make apple pie a dessert few associate with its European origins.
10. Pancakes
People have eaten pancakes for thousands of years, but fluffy, flavorsome American breakfast pancakes are a food evolution of their own. Baking powder and soda create a light, fluffy texture unknown to many thin pancakes around the globe. Smother them in butter and maple syrup, and you’ve got yourself one of America’s favorite breakfast choices.
11. Donuts
As with fried chicken, fried dough is nothing new. However, American donuts have been altered to dominate the world of sweet desserts. Easy to mass-produce, the hole in the center of a donut allows it to cook all the way through.
12. Caesar Salad
Caesar salad was not invented in Caesar’s Palace. Despite its Romanesque name, the classic Caesar salad was invented by American restaurateur Caesar Cardini in his native land of Mexico. The original recipe is quite simple compared to restaurant dressings and ingredients today.
13. Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan sandwiches are a shining example of how Italian-American cuisine can differ from authentic Italian food. Americans were inspired by Italy’s eggplant parmigiana, but swapped chicken for eggplant. When paired with tomato sauce and melted cheese, chicken Parmesan has become an enormous menu item in American Italian restaurants.
14. General Tso's Chicken
General Tso’s chicken is served in restaurants across the world, but it wasn’t until the recipe reached America that it became the sweet and tangy, fried chicken dish we know today. The Chinese dish most similar to General Tso’s is chicken mo ginger, which is served plain. Quite the difference!
15. Fortune Cookies
Fortune cookies are as American as speculative sayings written in broken Chinese. Truth be told, fortune cookies originated in California, not China. Japanese-Americans get credit for bringing the cookie to Chinese restaurants across America.
16. Clam Chowder
Clam chowder started in Europe, but something about crumbling ship biscuits gave New England cooks an idea. Potato, onion, salt pork, and milk or cream make clam chowder distinctly American. Plus, you can find variants such as Manhattan clam chowder, a tomato-based soup that heats up this age-old debate.
17. Ice Cream
Italians claim to have created the first ice cream, but America has evolved it into countless flavors and uses. Before refrigeration, ice cream was reserved for the wealthy who could afford freezing factories and crates of ice. World Wars increased milk production, allowing Americans to consume ice cream more than any other nation.
18. Spaghetti and Meatballs
Who doesn’t love pasta? Americans love spaghetti so much we decided to put a lot of giant meatballs on it. Sure, pasta and tomato sauce can be found all over Italy, but hefty meatballs are primarily an American invention.
19. French Fries
French fries did not originate in France, but they did become popular overseas before making it big in America. Mass production makes fries quick to cook and easy to buy frozen. Plus, they go great with hamburgers.
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20. Cupcakes
Cake isn’t new, but cupcakes became America’s dessert and party favor. No longer small and simple, cupcakes are ornate with frosting, color-themed icing, candies, sprinkles, and who could forget fillings. What was once children’s birthday cake is now the favored dessert for weddings and celebrated on Instagram.
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