Did you think fortune cookies originated in China? In fact, it is a Japanese culinary invention, but of Chinese origin is actually "ketchup", which we always thought was typically American...
Most of us know that the prototype of the hamburger originated in Germany and that the Italians were not the only ones who came up with the concept of pizza. However, there are still some dishes that surprise with their actual origin.
1. "Fortune cookies" are not from China
While writing his thesis, a Japanese student researched the origin of the well-known cookies that predict the future. Much to the surprise of most, he discovered that cookies actually have Japanese origins. In China, we "fortune cookies" they won't even serve!
2. “Ketchup” is actually a Chinese invention
A word ketchup originally meant "fish sauce", which is a Chinese sauce known to most lovers of Chinese cuisine. Nowadays, the word is no longer heard in Fujian province, where it originated, and the first version of the sauce did not contain anything resembling tomatoes. Americans added this to the sauce, and the first recipe for tomato ketchup was published in America as long ago as 1812.
3. “Churros” are not Mexican at all
We still don't know if they are dessert "churros" crooked by Spanish shepherds, Portuguese sailors or the Chinese, but we can definitely say that Mexicans did not invent crunchy sticks. According to an interesting theory, Portuguese sailors discovered the dessert in China and brought it home, and then the Spanish adopted it and adapted it to their taste. Whatever the nationality, the dessert was introduced to Latin America the conquistadors.
4. Butter croissants do not originally come from France
Because of the French-sounding name croissants we were always convinced that butter croissants were French. The popular treat, which was first baked in the 17th century, actually originated in Austria, but in the 18th century, croissants were introduced to France by a Vienna-born Queen Marie Antoinette.
5. Meatballs are not quintessentially Italian
We were sure that meatballs and spaghetti they come from Italy. However, this is not the case. Meatballs are of Italian origin, but they are called there "meatballs" and they are not eaten in combination with spaghetti. "Polpettes" are much smaller in size than the famous meatballs, and Italians prepare them in soups. Meatballs are the result of the migration of a large part of the Italian population to America between the early 1800s and the late 1900s and the need for nutritious cheap food at the time.
