Where does gingerbread come from, and why is it called that? The answer involves the crusades, witchcraft, and taxation without representation.
Tag Archives: food
Where Did S’mores Come From?
Where did s’mores come from? The answer involves the Girl Scouts, a Wikipedia hoax, and the Father of American Vegetarianism.
Why Are Salads “Salted”?
Why does the word salad sound suspiciously like the word for salted in many languages? And where did salads come from, anyway? The answer takes us from ancient Rome to the high-class hotels of New York to Tijuana, Mexico.
A Short History of Hamburgers
Why are hamburgers called hamburgers if they’re not made out of ham? The answer spans time and space from the Mongol invasion of Russia to the German revolutions of 1848 to the McDonald’s Big Mac.
The Secret History of White Chocolate
Is white chocolate actually chocolate—and where did it come from in the first place? The answer involves the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, questionable pharmaceutical cookbooks, and children’s vitamins.
C Is for Cookie
Who invented the cookie? The answer involves the luxuries of the Persian Empire, cookery books, and Dutch funerals.
All the Whyser 