You’ve probably eaten most of the European dishes we are going to discuss but do you know how they came to be? Today is the day you’re going to learn! Without further ado, here are the most interesting food origins of popular European foods.
Sandwiches
The story goes that John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, didn’t want to leave his card game to get food, and neither should you if you play at UK’s best online casino, which is why he asked his servants to put a serving of beef in between two slices of bread, so he could eat with one hand and play with the other.
This funny story of an earl who couldn’t keep his eyes off the card game arguably spawned the most popular dish around the world – the sandwich.
Russian Salad
Russian salad, also known as Olivier salad, is a popular dish served in Slavic countries usually during holidays such as New Year’s Eve. The salad’s ingredients vary around different countries, but the main ingredients of mayo, potatoes, eggs, and meat appear in all versions.
While the dish is commonly referred to as “Russian”, it was not invented by a Russian. The chef behind this popular salad is the Belgian Lucien Olivier who worked at The Hermitage (a fancy restaurant in Moscow). The salad became an instant hit, mainly due to its secret sauce.
This is why a sous-chef of Olivier by the name of Ivan Ivanov tried to steal the recipe. Olivier had a secret room where he prepared the salad, however, so Ivanov did the best he could and created a similar salad by the name of Metropolitan Salad.
Nowadays, Russian or Olivier salad is served in many different ways but nobody knows the origin of the original one as the chef never revealed the recipe.
Fries
The origin of fries is highly contested as you might know. Fries are commonly known in places like the US as French fries but Belgium would like to disagree.
Belgians tell the story of a cold winter in 1680 when the rivers froze over, so people couldn’t catch their popular small fishes. This is why some inventive Belgian came up with a plan to cut potatoes in thin long slices and fry them instead.
Some historians doubt this story as potatoes weren’t as readily available back in the 17th century and also because fries ask for a lot of oil that people might not have been willing to sacrifice if the winter was that cold.
The French claim it was them who created the popular dish and indeed, as early as 1795, fries appeared in cookbooks (although they were thicker like wedges).
Interestingly, it might appear that both countries can lay claim to the invention of fries. Apparently, there was a street food seller by the name of Herr Krieger who sold fries (proper thin fries) in Belgium in the early 19th century but he called them Parisian as he was trained in France, so perhaps a Belgian taught in Paris was the real father of the fries.
Fish and Chips
Go to any pub in the UK and you’ll be able to order this next dish on the list. Fish and chips is a staple of British cuisine but what if we were to tell you that it was not invented there? Surprisingly, fish and chips might have originated in Portugal all the way back in the 15th century.
However, it was not the Portuguese that invented this popular dish. Sephardi Jews who fled the Inquisition in Spain and relocated to Portugal would fry cod or haddock in a special batter that would preserve the fish and all its flavour for at least 24 hours (Jews are not allowed to cook on the Sabbat).
The situation in Portugal worsened and Jews were persecuted and forced to convert if they wished to remain there. Because of that, many Sephardim Jews moved to other countries in Europe, one of which was England. Jewish street sellers would offer their fried fish and even Thomas Jefferson referred to eating this fried fish as being served in the Jewish fashion after one of his visits to England. But you might ask, what about the chips?
Well, chips were likely added to the combo sometime in the 19th century or five centuries after this type of fish dish was created. Returning to the previous section, chips might have come to England from Belgium or France.
All we know is that by the turn of the new century, there were thousands of fish and chips shops all around the United Kingdom and this dish was even excluded from the rations in the First and Second World Wars.
Thoughts
Were you surprised by any of these interesting food stories? Let us know and in the meantime check our article on the top 8 European dishes.