Many favorite American foods were actually created by accident. From chocolate chip cookies to potato chips, these happy culinary mistakes have become beloved staples. Here’s a fun look at 10 popular dishes that started from unexpected mishaps, proving sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them.
AUTHOR: Stephanie Allen
Table of Contents
- 1. Buffalo Wings
- 2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 3. Corn Flakes
- 4. French Fries
- 5. Ice Cream Cones
- 6. Mozzarella
- 7. Popsicles
- 8. Potato Chips
- 9. Slurpees
- 10. Toasted Ravioli
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1. Buffalo Wings
The popular bar food was created in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo in Buffalo, New York. Bellissimo, the co-owner of the Anchor Bar, had a batch of leftover fried chicken wings. She doused them in hot sauce and served them to her son and his friends with blue cheese and celery on the side. After the young men gave their stamp of approval, she added wings in hot sauce to the bar's menu.
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ruth Wakefield, a co-owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, routinely baked cookies for her guests. After running out of baker's chocolate for a batch of cookies, she used pieces of a chocolate candy bar in the cookie dough. Instead of melting as she believed they would, the chocolate pieces held up, and one of America's favorite cookies was born.
3. Corn Flakes
The Kellogg brothers' 1898 invention remains one of the essential breakfast foods today. Their original plan was to toast wheat berries to create a vegetarian-friendly food. The brothers left the wheat berries in the oven too long and ended up with crunchy wheat flakes. They successfully repeated the same experiment with corn, which was the start of what we now know as Corn Flakes cereal.
4. French Fries
Both France and Belgium claim to be the home of the original French fry. In the Belgian version of the tale, during the winter of 1680, villagers from the city of Namur fried potatoes cut up into sticks. They normally fried small fish but couldn't because the river had frozen. The French claim to having invented the first fried potatoes dates to cookbooks from 1795 that mentioned them. Either way, people around the world love french fries.
5. Ice Cream Cones
Ice cream itself predates the ice cream cone, and vendors often served the frozen treat with wafers on the side. If the origin story of the cone is true, an immigrant named Italo Marchiony was responsible for developing the first cone in New York City. Marchiony was serving ice cream in cups to his customers. When he ran out of them, he made an edible cup from wafers.
6. Mozzarella
Whether fresh or packaged as string cheese or fried into cheese sticks, mozzarella is a popular snack with kids and adults. Like several other accidental inventions, the first mozzarella came from a kitchen. A cheesemaker in Naples, Italy, was supposed to have accidentally made the first mozzarella when curdled milk fell into boiling water. Thank goodness someone was willing to taste it.
7. Popsicles
The invention of popsicles proves that you don't have to be an adult to create a lasting legacy. In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson had a glass of soda with a wooden stirrer inside. He left the glass outside overnight, and when he found it the next day, the soda had frozen solid. He removed the frozen soda from the glass, making the first known popsicle.
8. Potato Chips
George Crum made the first potato chip in 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York. The story goes that shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt wasn't happy with the thickness of his french fries at a restaurant. Crum, the cook, took offense at the complaint, sliced Vanderbilt's potatoes as thin as possible, then deep-fried them. The millionaire loved them, and today, potato chips are popular in dozens of flavors worldwide.
9. Slurpees
The brain freeze beverage was discovered in the late 1950s by a Dairy Queen owner named Omar Knedlik. When the soda machine broke down, Knedlik stored some bottles in the freezer to keep them cold. After opening the bottles, customers found the liquid soda turned into a sweet slush. Surprisingly, they loved receiving their sodas semi-frozen. By 1965, 7-Eleven licensed the machine that made them and called them Slurpees.
10. Toasted Ravioli
Ravioli is a staple of Italian cuisine, but you can trace the origin of fried ravioli to two restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri, each of which claims credit for making the first fried version of the pasta. Legend has it that ravioli squares were unintentionally placed in a deep fryer of oil, creating a new spin on a classic dish. Today, you can find fried ravioli on menus from coast to coast.
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