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Weird History Food is getting out the fryer for this one on Fried Foods. People worldwide have enjoyed various fried foods for centuries. Deep-frying is thought to date back to ancient Egyptian times; the process was meant to help preserve foods. The invention of the frying pan has been credited to ancient Mesopotamians.
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Today, we're going to take a look at some deliciously crispy facts we didn't know about the history of fried foods
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While these pastries are primarily associated with Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, their exact origin is unclear
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One theory holds that churros were invented by nomadic Spanish shepherds in the Middle Ages, who cooked the treats over an open fire
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Their breed of sheep, the churra, had horns that supposedly resembled churros, making it the most fantastical beast that has ever actually existed
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No matter the exact origin, we know that the pastries have been around for centuries
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and that they were introduced to South America during the Spanish Inquisition. In the U.S., their popularity has been widely credited to Disneyland
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which has been selling the snacks since the 1980s. The first documented mention of the onion rings was in an ad for Crisco and a New York Times magazine in 1933
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The then-recipes publication timing likely dates the creation of onion rings to the 20th century
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but no one can really be sure. Regardless, the treat has always been popular and is likely a big contributor to the reported 20 pounds of onions the average American eats every year
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The exact birthplace of fish and chips is unknown, but both Lancashire and London claim to be the meal's port of origin
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According to the Lancashire Contingent, around 1863, a man named Lees started selling fish and chips from a wooden hut in a market in Mossley, Lancashire
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When he moved to a permanent shop, a sign in the window read, This is the first fish and chip shop in the world
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However Londoners insist the Lancashire folks are full of it According to them a Jewish immigrant named Joseph Mallon opened the first fish and chip shop in the Cleveland Way part of London also around 1863
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Fried green tomatoes originated in the Midwestern or Northeastern U.S. in the late 19th century, potentially introduced to diners by Jewish immigrants
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But recipes were rarely actually published. By the 1970s, fried green tomatoes had lost their popularity
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but after the movie's release, the dish gained a mighty second wind and widely came to be perceived
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as a classic southern recipe. Even though it's anything but, hush puppies are a side dish
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generally served with fried fish or shrimp. Though they're typically associated with the
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American South, no one knows where or how they were invented. But several theories exist. The
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most common of those is that when fishermen would start cooking their catch, the dogs would smell
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it and howl for food. To hush their pups, the fishermen fed them fried bits of dough
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Another theory places their origin with Cajuns in Louisiana, who would batter, fry, and eat salamanders, which they called mud puppies
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But because eating the slimy little amphibians wasn't winning them any friends in high society
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they kept hush about the practice. Others believed that hush puppies were invented by a formerly enslaved person
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Romeo Govan, who was a well-known cook in the area around Bamberg, South Carolina
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in the late 19th and early 20th century. He hosted fish fries where he served, among other things, red horse bread
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The bread was made of cornmeal batter fried in lard. What people called red horse bread in South Carolina
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then came to be known as hush puppies elsewhere for reasons unknown. Sort of like how chips mean something different depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on
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