⏱️ 7 min read
Food has always been one of the most fascinating ways to explore different cultures and traditions around the world. Every country, region, and community has developed unique culinary practices shaped by geography, history, and cultural exchange. From unexpected ingredient origins to surprising cooking techniques, international cuisines are filled with fascinating stories and little-known details that make dining experiences even more enriching. Here are twelve intriguing facts about food from around the globe that might change the way you think about your favorite dishes.
Fascinating Discoveries from World Cuisines
1. Fortune Cookies Are an American Invention
Despite being served in virtually every Chinese restaurant across America, fortune cookies are not Chinese at all. These crispy treats were actually invented in California in the early 1900s, most likely by Japanese immigrants. The cookies were inspired by Japanese senbei crackers and were originally served in Japanese tea gardens in San Francisco. Chinese restaurants began adopting them after World War II, and they eventually became synonymous with Chinese-American cuisine. If you travel to China today, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a fortune cookie in any authentic restaurant.
2. Ketchup Originally Came from China as a Fish Sauce
The beloved tomato condiment that Americans put on everything has roots that trace back to ancient China. The word “ketchup” likely derives from the Hokkien Chinese word “kê-tsiap,” which was a fermented fish sauce. British traders discovered this sauce in Southeast Asia during the 17th century and brought the concept back to Europe, where cooks experimented with various ingredients including mushrooms, walnuts, and eventually tomatoes. The tomato-based version we know today didn’t become standard until the 19th century in America.
3. Italian Tomato Sauce Didn’t Exist Until After Columbus
It’s nearly impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without tomatoes, yet this essential ingredient only arrived in Europe after Spanish conquistadors brought tomatoes back from the Americas in the 16th century. Italians were initially suspicious of the strange red fruit and believed it to be poisonous. It took nearly 200 years before tomatoes became a staple in Italian cooking. The first recorded tomato sauce recipe appeared in 1692, and pizza with tomato sauce didn’t become popular until the late 18th century in Naples.
4. Chopsticks Were Originally Cooking Utensils
The chopsticks used daily by billions of people across Asia weren’t initially meant for eating. They were first used as cooking utensils around 5,000 years ago in China, designed to retrieve food from hot pots and oil. The transition to eating utensils occurred during the Han Dynasty when a population boom and fuel shortages led cooks to cut food into smaller pieces that cooked faster. These bite-sized pieces made knives at the table unnecessary, and chopsticks became the perfect tool for eating. Confucian teachings, which deemed knives at the dinner table as barbaric, further solidified their role as eating implements.
5. Chicken Tikka Masala Was Invented in Scotland
One of the most popular dishes in British curry houses has surprisingly British origins. While the exact story is debated, the most popular account claims that chicken tikka masala was created in Glasgow, Scotland, during the 1970s. According to legend, a customer complained that his chicken tikka was too dry, so the chef improvised by adding a creamy tomato sauce made from a can of condensed soup and some spices. The dish became an instant hit and is now considered by many to be Britain’s national dish, despite its Indian-inspired flavors.
6. Croissants Are Austrian, Not French
The buttery, flaky pastry synonymous with French breakfast culture actually originated in Austria. The croissant’s ancestor, the “kipferl,” was a crescent-shaped bread that had been made in Austria since at least the 13th century. The modern croissant was introduced to France by Austrian artillery officer August Zang, who opened a Viennese bakery in Paris in 1838. French bakers adopted and refined the recipe, transforming it into the laminated, butter-rich pastry we know today. The French perfected the technique, but Austria deserves credit for the original concept.
7. Wasabi Served in Most Sushi Restaurants Is Actually Horseradish
Real wasabi comes from a plant called Wasabia japonica, which is notoriously difficult and expensive to cultivate. It grows naturally along stream beds in Japanese mountain valleys and takes two years to mature. Because authentic wasabi is rare and costly, most sushi restaurants worldwide, including many in Japan, serve a substitute made from horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring. Real wasabi has a more complex, subtle flavor that doesn’t linger as long as the horseradish version, and it loses its potency within 15 minutes of being grated.
8. Pumpkin Spice Contains No Pumpkin
The popular fall flavor blend known as pumpkin spice is actually a mixture of spices traditionally used in pumpkin pie, not made from pumpkins themselves. The blend typically includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice. These warming spices complement the mild flavor of pumpkin but don’t contain any pumpkin whatsoever. The confusion arises from the name, which refers to spices for pumpkin rather than spices made from pumpkin. Many “pumpkin spice” products also contain no actual pumpkin, just the spice blend and artificial flavoring.
9. Peppers Are Called “Peppers” Due to a Mistaken Identity
When Christopher Columbus encountered chili peppers in the Americas, he mistakenly believed they were related to black pepper, the expensive spice Europeans had been trading for from Asia. Hoping to impress his Spanish patrons, he called them “peppers,” and the name stuck. In reality, chili peppers (genus Capsicum) and black pepper (Piper nigrum) are completely unrelated plants from different botanical families. The naming confusion has persisted for over 500 years, and we still use “pepper” to describe both the spice and the vegetable.
10. Germany Consumes More Kebabs Than Turkey
The döner kebab, which originated in Turkey, has become so popular in Germany that Germans now consume more of them than people in Turkey do. Turkish immigrants brought döner kebabs to Berlin in the 1970s, where they adapted the dish to German tastes by serving it in pita bread with salad and sauce. Today, Germany has over 16,000 döner kebab shops, generating billions of euros annually. The döner kebab has become such an integral part of German food culture that many consider it a national dish, and Berlin alone sells an estimated 950 döner kebabs per day for every 1,000 residents.
11. The Caesar Salad Was Created in Mexico
Despite its Roman-sounding name, the Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924 by Italian-American restaurateur Caesar Cardini. According to his daughter, the salad was created on a busy Fourth of July weekend when the kitchen was running low on supplies. Cardini improvised with what he had available: romaine lettuce, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, eggs, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce. He prepared the salad tableside with dramatic flair, which impressed his guests. The salad became so popular that it spread throughout Mexico and eventually to the United States, where it remains a menu staple.
12. Feta Cheese Is Legally Protected by the European Union
In 2002, the European Union granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status to feta cheese, declaring that only cheese made in specific regions of Greece using traditional methods can legally be called “feta” within EU countries. The cheese must be made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk, and it must be produced in particular areas including Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, and the Peloponnese. This legal protection was the result of a long dispute between Greece and other countries, particularly Denmark, which had been producing and exporting “feta” cheese for decades. Similar protections exist for other regional foods like Champagne, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Prosciutto di Parma.
The Ever-Evolving World of Food
These twelve facts demonstrate that international cuisines are far more complex and interconnected than they might initially appear. Foods travel across borders, adapt to new cultures, and transform over time while maintaining connections to their origins. Understanding these surprising culinary histories enriches our appreciation for the diverse dishes we enjoy and reminds us that food is one of humanity’s most dynamic and shared cultural expressions. The next time you sit down to enjoy a meal from another culture, remember that there’s likely a fascinating story behind every bite.