Since well before Top Chef and Chopped, America has had a long and tasty history of food invention and experimentation. Our nation’s appetite for new tastes has produced a melting pot of culinary firsts. From a long list of inspired gustatory innovations, we’ve culled a list of America’s most beloved — and adaptable — dishes and mashups.
While the origin stories may clash, the dishes all come together to produce a uniquely American legacy. We may never know if it was Ernest Hamwi or Abe Doumar who began serving ice cream cones at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, or who added a slice of cheddar to the first cheeseburger. And while the donut can be claimed by Dutch, Russian, French and Native American cooks, it’s only in America that donut holes have reached such prominence.
And if you don’t agree that these entries are as American as apple pie (which by the way started as a British dessert) please take our list with a grain of salt.
