.jpg)
Here are a few things to know. French Fries didn’t originate in France, Eggs Benedict was a result of a colossal hangover and Butter Chicken was made by pure accident!
Have you ever bitten into a meaty sandwich, or wolfed down a dozen fluffy Mangalore Buns, and wondered how they came to be? For instance, did you know that you have John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich to thank for your favourite Sloppy Joes?
If you’re a true gastronome, you may have already delved into the history behind these iconic dishes. If not, here’s a primer on everything you need to know about where your favourite dishes came from.
From French Fries to Butter Chicken — the compelling stories behind how your favourite dishes got their names
Baked Alaska is the perfect fix for when you’re torn between ordering a cake or ice-cream post dinner. The popular dessert, which includes cake and ice cream enveloped in meringue, and then brûléed on the outside, features as a must-have on most menus. But contrary to its name, the Baked Alaska did not originate in the American state. Charles Ranhofer, a Parisian chef working at Delmonico's in New York, and known for making cultural commentary through his food, decided to name the dish “Alaska, Florida” after America purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. This was later simplified into Baked Alaska, and the name just stuck.
To trace the origins of Butter Chicken, let’s travel back to post-partition Delhi, where Chef Simon Mahil Chahal was running a restaurant called Moti Mahal, whose original Peshawar branch was owned by Kundan Lal Gujral. One night, post closing time, a VIP guest wandered in, asking for some sort of chicken dish. At that point, all the chef had at his disposal was half-a-Tandoori chicken. So he took a chance; tossed it up with a random assortment of garam masalas, tomatoes and a generous serving of butter. And so, the Butter Chicken came to be.
Who doesn’t love a well-made California Roll? The history behind the popular sushi roll is disputed. Some scholars claim that it was curated in the kitchen of a Vancouver-based, Japanese-origin cook named Hidekazu Tojo, who brought it to North America in the 1970s. The more popular account, however, is that of Ichiro Mashita, a sushi chef at a famed Los Angeles sushi bar — Tokyo Kaikan — who claims to have created it (also) in the 1970s. Mashita substituted toro, a fatty tuna, with avocado. He is also credited for turning the sushi "inside-out”, with rice on the outside.
The Mangalore Buns were created in an attempt to rescue overly ripened bananas from waste, according to a LiveMint. The story takes place in a hotel in Udupi, when a group of cooks mashed the bananas, added flour to the mixture and then deep-fried it. The result was a dozen fluffy buns that go perfectly with a side of coconut chutney.
The recipe to create a hearty Beef Stroganoff trails all the way back to 17th century Russia, when Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov, a diplomat from the Russian Stroganov family, asked his French cooks to add some Russian flair to their dishes. According to the Taste of Russia cookbook, the chef combined some Russian sour cream with basic French mustard to create the iconic sauce that the dish is celebrated for. Now, the same Stroganoff sauce is used over all kinds of meats.
These days, Instagram reels will have you making a sandwich with ingredients that you wouldn’t imagine go together. Like a PB&J with bacon and bananas or the dubious Chow Mein Sandwich. The creators of these anomalies should be thanking John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich for coming up with the concept. PBS quotes an extract from 18th century French writer Pierre-Jean Grosley book Londres, where he observed the Earl and what led him to create the world’s first sandwich:
“A minister of state passed (spent) four and twenty hours at a public gaming-table, so absorpt in play, that, during the whole time, he had no subsistence but a piece of beef, between two slices of toasted bread, which he ate without ever quitting the game. This new dish grew highly in vogue during my residence in London; it was called by the name of the minister who invented it,” he wrote.
You probably already had an inkling that French Fries did not originate in France. But it does come from a neighbouring European country. According to National Geographic, French Fries originated in Belgium, where due to the scarcity of fish during the winter months, fishermen near the River Meuse began to fry up potatoes for sustenance. When the American soldiers stationed in the area during World War 1 learned about this particular dish, they dubbed it "French Fries”, considering that was the dominant language spoken in the country.
Contrary to popular belief (and you’d be surprised by just how many believe), Caesar Salad has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. The Caesar Salad first appeared in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924, when it was created by Italian-American restaurateur Caesar Cardini. Like Butter Chicken, the Caesar Salad was also created out of compulsion — stirred up by Cardini when his restaurant was low on supplies. He put together romaine lettuce, eggs, olive oil, croutons, and Worcestershire sauce and unknowingly, plated a dish that would feature on food menus across the world for generations to come.
Legend has it that the Samosa was actually introduced to India from the Middle East. Only in the latter, the ‘sambosa’ was typically stuffed with minced meats. When spice route travellers travelled to India through the Central Asia route, they needed a dish that they could cook up quickly and carry easily through the rest of the journey. Considering that a significant chunk of India back then was vegetarian, they replaced the minced meat with potatoes and vegetables. And that’s how the Samosa, that you pick up as a quick snack on your way home from work, came to be.
The delicious breaded, deep-fried chicken cutlet stuffed with butter is a favourite among those favouring a decadent continental spread. However, despite its name, the Chicken Kiev (also called Chicken A la Kiev) did not originate in Ukraine. According to National Geographic, the buttery dish seemed to have appeared first in Russia around the late 19th century, “possibly dreamed up by the French chefs czarist aristocrats loved to employ”, though back then they probably used ground meat. The chicken version seems to have risen to prominence around 20th-century Russia and made its way to British and American dinner-parties by the 1960s.
