America has embraced different cuisines from
all around the world but there are some foods that are distinctly American inventions. Americans
love casual dining, and delicious favorites like tater tots and peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches fit the bill. So let’s get a taste of 10 Foods Only America Was Crazy Enough
To Invent - Part 2. Vive La America Of course Vichyssoise sounds very French,
but this soup was actually invented in America in the early twentieth century. This popular
soup was created by a chef named Louis Diat in 1917 while he was working at the Ritz-Carlton
hotel in New York City. The key ingredients of this soup includes potatoes, leeks and
cream, but there has been many variations of this recipe over the years. Potato and
Leek soup was a classic of French cuisine, but, like most soups, was served hot. Diat
wanted to serve something cool to the hotel guests who were dealing with hot summers in
a time before the invention of air conditioning. His decision to add cold cream to the soup
distinguished his American version from the well-known French version. The enterprising
chef named his soup after the people who live in the popular French resort town called Vichy,
which is near the French town where he was born. You might not think of New York city
when you hear the name "Vichyssoise," but this cold soup is truly an American original. A Salt Water Treat People don't agree on just how salt water
taffy got its name, but we have to stipulate up front that there is absolutely no sea water
or salt water used in the production of this candy. Many people argue that it was simply
a clever name cooked up by seaside vendors trying to sell more candy. However, there
are others who insist there is a story behind this descriptive name. Taffy was being produced
as early as the 1800's, but it hadn't really broken through as a popular candy. Things
changed when an Atlantic City candy maker's store was hit by an unexpected flood. David
Bradley's store was heavily damaged by flood waters in 1883 and he lost much of his inventory.
The way the story is told is that a little girl came into the damaged candy store looking
for a treat. Bradley supposedly told her that all he had to sell her was salt water taffy.
He had meant the line as a joke, but the girl bought some of his "salt water taffy" anyway.
The name caught on after that and an East Coast candy tradition was born. Whatever its
true origins, salt water taffy has helped make summer a little sweeter for kids of all
ages. Drink Your Ice Cream Milkshakes were first introduced in America
in 1885 as an adult beverage made with whiskey. That was then, but by the early 1900's they
had been established as a creamy kid-friendly treat enjoyed by all. Milkshakes were originally
shaken by hand, but in the early 1900's, a number of electric mixers and blenders became
available, and the modern milkshake with a more frothy consistency was born. In the days
of soda fountains, ice cream started to be a common ingredient in milkshakes after an
enterprising employee at a Walgreens soda fountain decided to add several scoops of
ice cream to the standard shake recipe. Later, with the popularity of fast food chains and
mass produced food, pre-made mixes and syrups started to replace ice cream in many milkshakes.
In the 1950's Ray Kroc helped to make milkshakes a popular item at fast food chains when he
bought the exclusive rights to a particular milkshake mixer for use at McDonald's restaurants.
Although tastes have changed quite a bit over the years, milkshakes have remained a popular
treat. Leave Room For Your Fortune If you get Chinese food in America, you'll
likely finish your meal with one of those little folded cookies with a fortune printed
on a tiny slip of paper. Not everyone agrees on the exact origins of these treats, but
perhaps the most likely involves immigrants not from China. It appears these "Chinese"
fortune cookies were actually introduced by Japanese immigrants inspired by a popular
cookie in Japan that is served with tea. It is possible that a Japanese establishment
in San Francisco called Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden started serving a version
of the cookie sometime in the 1890's. However, there is a competing story that the Hong Kong
Noodle Company in Los Angeles first started serving the cookies around 1918. Whatever
the truth is these tasty little cookies were becoming popular in America in the early twentieth
century, and during this period they became closely associated with Chinese food. A court
case in the 1980's ruled in favor of the Tea Garden's claim that San Fransisco should be
recognized as the fortune cookie's birth place, but the Los Angeles Noodle Company decided
to ignore this ruling and continue to claim the honor for itself. A Kid Classic An article in the May, 1896 issue of an American
magazine called Good Housekeeping offered a recipe that called for spreading homemade
peanut butter on slices of bread. Soon after, Table Talk magazine published a recipe for
what it called a peanut butter sandwich. At this point peanut butter was still relatively
expensive and the sandwich didn't really catch on with most people. However, in the early
1900's the price of peanut butter fell quite a bit and peanut butter sandwiches began to
grow in popularity. Several other innovations soon followed including adding sugar to the
peanut butter and offering pre-sliced bread. These changes helped catapult this modest
recipe to new heights of popularity. It is unclear exactly when jelly became part of
the recipe, but records show that by World War ll, the troops were eating peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches. As popular as this classic combination has become, there are several
well regarded variations such as the fluffernutter. Instead of jelly, this peanut butter sandwich
uses a stiff marshmallow spread called Fluff. The fluffernutter seems more like a dessert
than a sandwich, which is probably just fine with most kids. Eating The Kool-Aid Kool-Aid powdered drink mix has long been
a fruity summer tradition for American kids, but Kool-Aid pickles are a relatively new
creation. The American South has been a hot spot for pickles for a long time, so it should
not be surprising that Mississippi proudly takes credit for first submerging pickles
in Kool-Aid. All you have to do to make Kool-Aid pickles is empty the pickle juice from a jar
of pickles and replace it with your choice of Kool-Aid drink mix. These fruity pickles
should be allowed to sit for about 5-7 days before enjoying them to give the Kool-Aid's
coloring and flavor time to transform the pickles. After a few days you'll have bright
red or bright green pickles with a new sweet flavor added to the pickles' usual tanginess
that appeals to both kids and adults. A convenience store chain in Mississippi called Double Quick
began selling Kool-Aid pickles to customers in 2004. The chain started calling the treats
Koolickles and applied for a trademark to protect its popular snack. The company claims
that red Kool-Aid pickles are the top sellers, which can be cherry, strawberry, or tropical
punch flavor. Many people prefer to make their own Kool-Aid pickles, and with a rainbow of
fruit flavors available there is a lot of room to experiment with different flavor combinations. Fair Food Several food vendors at state fairs in the
1940's claimed to have invented this tasty American treat. However, patent records from
1927 describes equipment that Texas sausage makers from Germany were using make corn dogs
and other deep fried foods. But even if these hot dogs dipped in cornmeal batter weren't
actually invented at a fair, they have certainly become a tasty part of fair culture across
America. There is something about deep fried foods that just goes so well with these annual
summertime events. Many food vendors take pride in concocting the next deep fried sensation.
Despite their connection to fairs corn dogs aren't confined only to fairs and are often
served by street vendors and fast food restaurants. Some people prefer to make them at home, and
the Internet provides a range of different recipes for this crazy American treat. Some
popular variations include putting cheese between the hot dog and the cornmeal batter
or even injecting cheese into the hot dog itself. If you prefer a quick snack you can
get frozen corn dogs at most supermarkets and heat them up whenever you're in the mood
for fair food. I'll Have S'mores The Campfire Marshmallows company published
a recipe for a Graham Cracker Sandwich in the early 1920's and camping was changed forever.
By the time this recipe was published, S'mores were already a popular snack with Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts on their camping trips. This delicious American treat is a wonderful combination
of marshmallows and chocolate wedged between graham crackers. The preferred method for
preparation is to roast the marshmallows over a campfire, but S'mores can also be made at
home using the backyard grill or even the microwave in a pinch. Regardless of how the
marshmallows are cooked, they should get warm and soft enough to melt the chocolate a little
bit. However, it also has to be firm, so the ingredients hold together long enough to be
enjoyed instead of completely falling apart. The graham crackers and chocolate bars are
key ingredients of the classic version of S'mores. However, over the years there have
been many variations that used different cookies and candy. Everything from peanut butter cups
to peppermint patties and Almond Joy have been tried in an effort to improve on the
classic recipe. These alternatives probably taste just fine, but it is hard to top the
classic chocolate bar as the perfect match for the marshmallow and graham crackers. Campfires
simply wouldn't be the same without this crazy American treat. I'm Going To Eat My Tots In the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite, the
title character puts tater tots in his pants so he can eat them later, but needless to
say this plan doesn't work out for him. A lot of Americans love these little blobs of
fried potato, even if most of them don't tend to store them in their clothes. A Tater tot's
cylinder shape lends the side dish to being a finger food for children, but they are enjoyed
by potato lovers of all ages. The Grigg brothers, the founders of the Ore-Ida company, came
up with a new product dubbed the "tater tot" in 1953 to signify a small potato. The tater
tot was Ore-Ida's solution to the question of what to do with the scraps and leftovers
from the huge amounts of potatoes the company processed everyday. Tater tots were first
sold in stores in 1956 at a cheap price, but they did not sell very well. Ironically, they
began to sell better after Ore-Ida raised the price. Despite these lowly origins the
tater tot has become a legitimate alternative to french fries. These crispy treats have
become so popular that Americans now eat as many as 3.7 million tater tots a year. In
addition to traditional tater tots, sweet potato tater tots and alternatives made with
broccoli and cauliflower have become increasingly popular. Let's Split The banana split is big, decadent and delicious,
so it's everything crazy American food should be. This over the top treat features at least
three scoops of ice cream, sliced banana served alongside the ice cream, fruit sauce, and
chocolate sauce. This summertime hit is usually topped with whipped cream, nuts, and maraschino
cherries. It might seem like the banana split is the result of simply throwing a lot of
different flavors together at random, but based on its longevity, it just works. Many
ice cream lovers agree that this is a fantastic creation, but there is less agreement about
exactly where and when the banana split was invented. Between the years 1904 and 1907,
no less than three cities claimed to have come up with this soda fountain classic. The
cities of Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; and Wilmington, Ohio all claim the banana
split as their own. Historians usually give credit for the banana split to a young man
named David Strikler. According to the story, he was working at Tassel Pharmacy in Latrobe
when he was inspired to create this famous treat. Although the two other cities dispute
this account, Latrobe went ahead and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the banana split
in 2004. In 1952, the popularity of the banana split inspired a Nebraska teenager to create
the banana split pie. This unique dessert won first prize worth $3,000 in a national
contest. These historical details of the banana split are interesting, but what ice cream
fans really want to know is where they can get one! Get more great BabbleTop videos right here.
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