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Aug 27, 1501
Pralines
The history of pralines is full of interesting stories. While sugar-coated nuts were known in the middle ages (Jordan almonds & dragees), food historians generally attribute the "invention" of the praline to Lassagne, officer of the table to Marechal du Plessis, duke of Choiseul-Praslin. The first pralines were crafted in the 17th century. Presumably, these confections were transported to Lousiana by French settlers.
"Sugar almonds. Almonds coated with a layer of fine sugar, as for dragees...Sug -
Yams
Although both yams and sweet potatoes edible starchy tubers, they evolved from two totally different plant species. True yams are Old World (there is one varietal exception) and sweet potatoes are New World (Peru). The confusion between these two is said to be attributed to linguistics. When Europeans introduced the sweet potato to Africa, (already familiar with yams), native cooks gave this similar-looking vegetable the same name. Yams were introduced to America by West African slaves. Today, y -
Cashews
"Cashew. A kidney-shaped nut that grows in a double shell at the end of a strongly sweet-smelling, pear-shaped fruit, the cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is a very unusual nut. The largest part of the fruit is the juicy, pear-shaped fruit called the cashew "apple," which is eaten raw or fermented to become alcohol. The nut itself grows at the lower end of the "apple," but one never sees cashews sold in the shell for a very good reason. The cashew is related to poison ivy and poison sumac, and th -
Pizza
A pizza consists mainly of a flat disc of bread. This is normally the base for various toppings, and it is safe to assume that since early classical times people in the general region of the Mediterranean were at least sometimes putting a topping on their flat breads [ie foccacia]...the word pizza itself was used as early as the year 997 AD in Gaeta, a port between Naples and Rome...Abruzzi had something called pizza in the twelfth century. Calabria made pitta or petta, Apulia pizzella or pizzet -
Italian hot subs
Food historians generally agree the modern American sub, hero, wedge, hoagie, grinder, Po'Boy, Rich Girl, gondola, torpedo, zepplin..and their heated cousins Philly cheese steak & Chicago Italian beef are regional variations on the same culinary theme. Vietnamese Banh Mi are current trend. These overstuffed meat, cheese and vegetable oblong-shaped foods nestled between thick Italian or chewy French bread were recipes built on local culinary traditions and ethnic preference. -
Cheez Puffs
Food historians tell us the history of puffed foods is a legacy of "accidental discovery." Ancient peoples placed maize too close to the fire and Puff! Popcorn happened. Puffed grain products (puffed wheat, puffed rice etc.) were scientifically studied and subsequently "invented" in the 19th century. The invention of cheese puffs (puffed corn coated with cheese flavoring) was 20th century combination of accident and science. -
Taco Salad
"Taco Salad. This salad arrived with the Tex-Mex fast-food franchises, which began to pepper the country in the 60s...The man who whetted our appetite for "hot and spicy" was Glen Bell, who opened the first "Taco Bell" in Downey, California. That was 1962. Did Taco Bell originate the Taco Salad? I've been unable to proved it did. Or didn't. The first recipe I could find for Taco Salad appeared in the May 1968 issue of Sunset." -
Chicken nuggets
Chicken nuggets (aka chicken fingers, chicken tenders), as we Americans know them today, are a popular fast food menu item composed of chopped chicken meat, mechanically compressed and factory shaped. McDonald's Chicken McNugget, one of the most popular examples, was introduced March 12, 1980. Today, chicken nugget-type foods are standard fare in fast food establishments, family restaurants, bar menus, school cafeterias, and supermarket freezer aisles. -
Jamaican Jerk
Extremely spicy and aromatic Jamaican "jerk" chicken seemed to take the country by storm, and Jamaican restaurants seemed to pop up everywhere for a while. A number of cookbooks featuring Jamaican cuisine also appeared. Although most of them have gone by the wayside, Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica (1990) by Helen Willinsky was still in print at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Other Caribbean foods were also in favor, although few of them were as hot as the popular jerk chicken. -
Panini
"'Panini' is the Americanized version of the Italian word panino, which means little sandwich and refers to a class of sandwiches that became popular in the United States in the late 1990s. Flavor is the key to panini, which are based on high-quality Italian artisan breads like focaccia or ciabatta. The sandwiches are layered, but not overstuffed, with flavorful combinations of cheeses, meats, or roasted vegetables. Various dressings or condiments are added, and the sandwich is pressed and light
