10 Most American Foods Ever
Usually when the world thinks of American food, it thinks of fast food and junk snacks. In spite of this, our culinary history is rich with some pretty impressive inventions and iconic foods. America is a country of innovators, and that includes the foods that we've redeveloped into delicious recipes.
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The United States is a melting pot of people and cultures, so saying that a food is "American" can be tricky. For this article, we are defining "American" in two ways. The food must have originated in America, or it has to have become so symbolic of the United States that it's origin it is no longer a part of it.
Now we all know that the hot dog and the hamburger are very symbolic of America. After all, who goes to watch America's favorite pastime, baseball, without getting a hot dog? And a classic American cookout isn't the same without a nice juicy burger, but we've decided to look beyond them. It's not because they aren't delicious, or that they aren't "American" enough. But rather that the United States has so many iconic foods, we decided to dig a little deeper.
You might be surprised to find out the origin of some of these American classics. Chemists and vaudeville actors created some of our favorite foods. Most of them come from humble beginnings, and now they are a staple part of the American cuisine identity. From simple sweet snacks to traditional Sunday dinner dishes, these foods are as American as well...apple pie!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are a childhood favorite for most people, and it turns out that they were invented in America. In Whitman, MA, to be precise, during the 1930s, Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn, came up with the cookies herself. There are many myths as to how the idea to put chocolate in her cookies really came to be, but the cookies are now a beloved dessert for adults and children.
S'mores
No one really knows who invented the classic campfire treat originally. The Girl Scouts were the first to ever write the recipe down though. They put it in their book "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" in 1927, and that version is the one that most of us make.