Mental Floss

FOOD HISTORY

The menu is a restaurant staple nowadays, but they haven't always been a part of dining out. From the Song dynasty in China to the first inns and taverns of France, the path toward the humble menu is a long and winding journey.

Michele Debczak




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If the first thing you picture when you hear ramen is a precooked block that comes with a flavor packet, you can thank Momofuku Ando. And World War II ... and the Yakuza crime syndicate.

Michele Debczak


Alabama white sauce might look like ranch dressing, but it certainly doesn't taste like ranch dressing.

Though it may look like ranch, Alabama white sauce bears little flavor resemblance to the salad dressing—and we have former railway worker Big Bob Gibson to thank for the convention-busting, and often overlooked, white sauce.

Ashley M. Biggers


Over the course of its history, chocolate has gone from a sacred beverage to a sweet treat.

Chocolate’s worldwide popularity streak has lasted centuries, but it wasn’t always the sweet, easily accessible treat we know today.

Michele Debczak
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Was beer brewed to make water potable? When did hops enter the picture? And what do the Budweiser Frogs have in common with Captain Jack Sparrow?

Michele Debczak


Your favorite condiments have unusual origins.

How did ketchup and mustard—two condiments with thousands of years of history between them—become associated with hot dogs and hamburgers?

Michele Debczak


A resourceful restaurant employee is one person we have to thank for this delicious dish.

From the chips, to the toppings, to the molten yellow cheese that’s become synonymous with the dish, the history of nachos can tell us a lot more than their simple ingredients list might suggest.

Michele Debczak


Marten Bjork, Unsplash

Sugar plums didn't originally contain plums, and their name once doubled as a not-so-sweet euphemism.

Michele Debczak


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The story of mashed potatoes takes 10,000 years and traverses the mountains of Peru and the Irish countryside; it features cameos from Thomas Jefferson and a food scientist who helped invent a ubiquitous snack food.

Michele Debczak


If you're looking for a caffeine fix, you know that orange pot isn't going to help.

Both decaf and regular coffee drinkers know what the orange spout and handle on a carafe means, but they may not know why the color was chosen.

Michele Debczak






You don’t have to be in Quebec to tuck into a plate piled with poutine.

Poutine—a staple of Canadian comfort cuisine—is comprised of a holy-hoser trinity of ingredients: French fries, cheese curds, and gravy.

Sean Hutchinson