19 Apr 2018

Foods That Are Named After People

Language is a funny thing. We spend our lives speaking words that just flow fluently but have you ever wondered where your favourite dishes and snacks got their names from? It's all in the history and let me tell you; it's pretty interesting! 

(Image credit: My Evil Twin's Kitchen) 

Sandwich

Reuben Kolakofsky made a hot sandwich of corned beef, swiss cheese, Russian dressing and sauerkraut for a poker group that got together in a hotel and it was a hit! Also named after John Montagu, 4th Early of Sandwich, the sandwich was named after him because he typically served this type of food when entertaining his friends.

Margherita Pizza

This pizza favourite which includes tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil and olive oil, was named after Queen Margarita Savoy from Naples who was presented with this pizza layered with foods with the colours of the Italian flag. I knew I was the Queen of pizza deep down! 

Oysters Rockefeller 

This dish is of baked or broiled half-shelled oysters topped with herbs. It was named after John D Rockefeller in 1899 which was the wealthiest American of his time. 

Pralines 

We love a good box of chocs that include this little gem. The caramelised almond delight was named after Marshall César du Plessis-Praslin whose cook invented them. Maybe we should start calling Gookie Dough something like Olly Dough due to the creator! 

Nachos

Created by Ignacio 'Nacho' Anaya in 1943, the original nacho dish was fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheddar cheese and topped with jalapeños. Nothing much has changed after all, and we love it! 

(Image credit: Genius Kitchen) 

Salads 

First up is the Caesar salad. Wonderful Caesar Cardini or one of his associates made this salad at a restaurant, and it was a significant hit! Second of all is Cobb salad. Robert H Cobb invented this salad as a late night snack at his restaurant in the 1930's.

German chocolate cake

Of course, we're going to end things off with a cake because there is nothing better! Just like our funfetti cake batter Gookie Dough! This layered chocolate cake was named after someone called Sam German (so not Germany, we tricked you) who invented the formula for dark baking chocolate. Ooh, fancy! 

So, now you know more irrelevant facts that you can go and tell your family. Over a jar of Gookie Dough maybe?! *Inspiration goes to Food Network*