Chew on these fun facts (see what I did there?).
1. Donuts
Hanson Gregory, an American ship captain, claimed to have introduced the donut's infamous ring shape in 1847, stating that he punched out the middle. Whether or not he was told to do so by angels is a loosely held theory. Another version describes Gregory piercing the middle of the donut with his steering wheel so he could, both, eat and steer.
2. Tacos
Hard shell tacos were invented in 1947 due to the fact that corn tortillas didn't last very long.
3. Pizza
"Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza a day or about 350 slices per second." (via pizza.com)
4. Burgers
The most expensive burger was found in Las Vegas in 20013 and is priced at $5,000. The "FleurBurger 5000" is made of black truffles, foie gras and Kobe beef.
5. Sandwiches
6. Sushi
That plastic grass that comes in your takeout order of sushi used to be real grass. It was used to divide and decorate but was mostly used to keep the sushi fresh.
7. Spaghetti
8. Popcorn
Popcorn used to be served with cream and sugar for breakfast by Colonial housewives. It was the first "puffed" cereal eaten by Europeans, which is where breakfast cereal started.
9. Butter
Butter isn't actually that unhealthy. It is packed with Vitamin A (hair, eyes and skin), E, D and K and only has eight grams of fat per every two tablespoons and doesn't have any of the artificia trans-fats found in margarine due to the fact that it is made from grass-fed cow's milk.
10. read
In 1943, for unknown reasons, a member of the U.S. government banned sliced bread.
11. Jelly Beans
Jelly beans were President Reagan's favorite candy. He ordered and distributed 7,000 pounds of jelly beans at his inauguration speech for which Jelly Belly created a new flavor, Blueberry.
12. Cheesecake
"New York" style cheesecake isn't the only one of its kind. There's Pennsylvanian, country, Asian, Philadephian, Greek, Dutch, Brazilian, Columbian, Chicagoan, Farmer's, German, Italian, Australian and more. I'm putting it on my bucket list to try every style.
13. Chicken and Waffles
Chicken and Waffles have two roots- Pennsylvania Dutch and Soul Food. The Pennsylvania Dutch version consists of pulled chicken and gravy on top of a waffle. The Soul Food version consists of fried chicken and butter or syrup on top of a waffle.
14. Hot Dogs
Hot dogs made it to the moon with the Apollo 11 astronauts. Armstrong and Aldrin ate them during their journey in 1969.
15. Twinkies
James A. Dewar, VP of Continental Bakeries, thought up Twinkies to be sold under the Hostess brand. They were originally sold with banana creamed filling but during World War II bananas became scarce so the cream was switched to vanilla and they never went back.
16. Cinnamon Rolls
In Sweden, cinnamon rolls are known as "Kanelbulle," which means cinnamon bun. The Swedish invented the tasty treat after Word War I, despite their neutral stance throughout the war.
17. Hershey's Kisses
Hershey's Kisses have tried out flavors such as Bacote, Lemon Creme, Mint Truffle and Pumpkin Spice in the past.
18. Froot Loops
My deepest apologies for ruining your childhoos but Froot Loops are actually all the same flavor: "froot blend". Foodbeast did a blind taste test after Straight Dope revealed the truth.
19. Doritos
The word "Doritos" is Spanish for "little
bits of gold" and the powder that covers your fingers when you eat it is
actually completely unnecessary. It was left on because it's a part of the
"Doritos experience."
20. Soft Pretzels
The phrase "Tying the knot" actually was inspired by pretzels. Newlyweds in Switzerland break a pretzel as a symbol of good luck on their wedding day.
21. Fruit by the Foot
Fruit by the Foot should really be called "Fruit by the Feet", seeing as it is actually three feet long. It is also made up of mostly the same ingredients as Gushers and Fruit Roll Ups.
22. Bagels
No matter where you go, New York is home to the best bagels in the world. Everything down to the water they boil the dough in is delectable. It also should be noted that New York is home to the most expensive bagel, ringing in a whopping $1,000 for a whole wheat bagel topped with marscarpone cream cheese, white truffles, grape jelly and small bits of edible gold. (Seriously?)
23. Snow Cones
"During the Roman Empire (27 B.C. to A.D. 395), people brought snow down from the mountains and mixed it with syrup to create the world's first frozen dessert." (Via manufacturedfun.com)
24. Candy Canes
The infamous red stripes on candy canes weren't added until 1900. The reason is unclear but for hundreds of years the world experienced stripeless peppermint candy canes.
25. Cheese
Some cheeses such as mozzarella, cheddar, American and Swiss help prevent tooth decay. It also has an antibacterial effect and helps to protect tooth enamel. But don't go crazy on the cheese whiz (thank you, Beck) because it should only be consumed in certain moderation.
26. Fortune Cookies
The Vice President of Wonton Food Inc., Donald Lau, was responsible for writing the fortunes in the cookies for years until he experienced writer's block in 1995. It was then that the company hired their first official writer. So if you got any fortunes before 1995 you got them straight from the top!
27. Nutella
"For many years, Italian shops would offer children who came in with a slice of bread a free smear of Nutella to put on it." (Via telegraph.co.uk)
28. Marshmallows
In Ancient Egypt marshmallow sap was often perscribed as a throat remedy and marshmallows can still be useful today for that very purpose.
29. Ice cream
No one knows how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop but it takes about 50 to finish a single scoop of ice cream.
30. Hot chocolate
The largest cup of hot chocolate ever made was 880 gallons. In 2013, 330 students and teachers in Tampa Bay. I'd swim in that pool.
31. Coffee
Coffee can be lethal, of course, seeing as caffeine is a drug. Approximately 100 cups of it could kill you.
32. Macaroni and cheese
Out of ice cream and potato chips? Have no fear, macaroni and cheese is listed as one of America's top ten comfort foods and has been for several decades now.
33. Cotton Candy
Surprisingly enough, cotton candy has less sugar than soda and, unsurprisingly enough, contains no fat.
34. Ketchup
Ketchup does have its own health benefits. I mean, it was originally created as a form of medicine. To take it one step further, ketchup can help prevent cancer. It's heart healthy and reduces the risk of cancer due to the chemical lycopene, an antioxident that gives tomatoes their pigment.
35. Chicken Wings
Two men once stole $65,000 in chicken wings.
36. Yogurt
Yogurt, according to current TSA regulations, is classified as a gel, so it is not allowed on airplanes.
37. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
They used to be called "penny cups" appropriately due to the fact that they were being sold for a penny each. Their popularity rose and so began the Reese's empire.
38. Muffins
The infamous rhyme "Do you know the muffin man?" was first published in 1820. The muffin man used to deliver English muffins door-to-door along Drury Lane
39. Chicken nuggets
A woman once sold a Chicken McNugget on eBay for $8,100 because it looked like George Washington.
40. S'mores
The first s'mores recipe was found in the 1927 Girl Scouts handbook. They were originally called "Some Mores".
41. Totino's Pizza Rolls
Kind of ike Hydrox and Oreos, Totino's wasn't the first to invent the Pizza Roll. Jeno Paulucci invented the bite-sized snack and sold them for years before selling his idea to Pillsbury in 1985, which then moved to the Totino's brand.
42. Pancakes
Bakers used to use fresh snow before baking soda was invented. It has ammonia in it that made the pancakes fluffy.
43. Potatoes
Potatoes have more potassium than bananas and are 80 percent water. Talk about a healthy starch.
44. Chili
45. Lemonade
Lemonade is mentioned in Ancient Egyptian writings. The "ade" in "lemonade" is becuase of the fact that the drink is not all juice.
46. Milkshakes
Blenders were specifically made for milkshakes. Before their release in 1922 people shook the ingredients in metal containers.
47. Grilled cheese
Following the Chicken McNugget phenomenon, a woman sold a grilled cheese on eBay for $28,000. The woman claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary burned into the bread.
48. Funnel cake
Funnel cakes actually only have 300 calories, despite being a fried treat. Beignets (New Orleans) are a variation of the original funnel cake concept.
49. French toast
French toast was originally made with stale bread by the French in an effort to not let any food go to waste.
