Food Archives ‑ History.com

Who Invented Buffalo Wings?

The origin story of spicy, saucy chicken wings has more than one hero.

6 Ways Coffee Helped Transform the World

More than five centuries ago, when coffee was a localized crop in the East African territories of Ethiopia and Yemen, Arab Sufi monks used the beverage for a similar purpose that people drink it today—to get a boost to stay awake. Their goal back then? To reach divine consciousness in midnight prayers. On its centuries‑long […]

How 19th‑Century German Immigrants Revolutionized America’s Beer Industry

How did lager beer become America’s most popular libation, sold everywhere from convenience stores to luxury hotels? It began in the mid‑19th century when throngs of German immigrants brewed the light, pale, effervescent alcoholic beverage in their kitchens for a taste of home. Resourceful German brewers grew the lager industry into a powerhouse by aggressively […]

Who Invented Chicken Nuggets?

Before McDonald’s pioneered McNuggets for fast food consumption, a Cornell University researcher developed bite‑size breaded chicken sticks that could be easily fried and frozen.

Who Invented the TV Dinner?

TV dinners—those frozen, pre‑cooked and pre‑portioned meals that can be reheated and ready to eat in minutes—became an American culinary staple in the mid 20th century. But the true origin of this quarter‑trillion‑dollar industry may never be fully unwrapped. TV dinners may not have emerged from factory ovens until the 1950s, but the industry’s pre‑heating […]

The Surprising Origins of the Fortune Cookie

Where did fortune cookies come from—and how did they become so ubiquitous? It’s customary in many restaurants for diners to receive a small treat with their check: mints, hard candy and sometimes even chocolate. But at many Chinese restaurants around the United States, patrons get something a little different: a Pac‑Man‑shaped, vanilla‑flavored cookie containing a […]

15 of America’s Most Historic Restaurants

How does a restaurant become “historic”? For most American eateries, it’s a feat to survive even a few years—much less decades or centuries. In the brutally competitive industry, statistics suggest that 60 percent of eateries don’t make it past their first year; 80 percent close within five years. But around the U.S, a select coterie […]

Who Invented the Potato Chip?

It’s complicated.

Why Ice Cream Soared in Popularity During Prohibition

When Congress passed the Volstead Act in 1920, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States, the law nearly decimated the alcohol industry. But it helped give the nascent ice cream business a sweet boost. Between 1919 and 1929, federal tax revenues from distilled spirits plummeted from $365 million to less […]

Why the Candy Bar Market Exploded After World War I

Candy bars may seem quintessentially American, but they have origins in the World War I chocolate rations given to European soldiers. The American military followed suit, helping its doughboys develop a sweet tooth they would bring home after the war. Throughout the 1920s, thousands of small, regional confectioners emerged to meet the demand, creating a […]

Andy Warhol’s Soup Can Paintings: What They Mean and Why They Became a Sensation

On July 9, 1962, a little‑known artist named Andy Warhol opened a small show at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. His head‑scratching subject: Campbell’s Soup. Each of his 32 paintings portrayed a different flavor in the lineup, from Tomato to Pepper Pot and Cream of Celery. For Warhol, not quite 34 years old, it […]

How Coffee Fueled Revolutions—and Revolutionary Ideas

Sultan Murad IV decreed death to coffee drinkers in the Ottoman Empire. King Charles II dispatched spies to infiltrate London’s coffeehouses, which he saw as the original source of “false news.” During the Enlightenment, Voltaire, Rousseau and Isaac Newton could all be found talking philosophy over coffee. The cafés of Paris sheltered revolutionaries plotting the […]