(#13) Burrito
Mexican food is a corner stone of cuisine in the United States - but the burrito is one of the best examples of how much it has been Americanized over the years. Burritos originated in Central Mexico, but are now largely found in the northern regions. However, they look pretty different from what most Americans are used to seeing.
The original ingredients were simple, and the end package was small; a hand-made, toasted tortilla would be wrapped around some meat, beans, salsa, and maybe a mix of vegetables. Certain states, like Chihuahua, also traditionally use locally made cheese.
In America, people create massive burritos filled with everything under the sun. Liberal use of sauces usually turns the end result to mush, so that it has to be eaten out of a foil wrapper. There has also been a shift towards the use of very non-traditional ingredients such as french fries - you definitely won't find that in Mexico.
(#9) French toast
French toast is a misnomer, as it's not from France. French toast as we know it today might have originated in either England or America, depending on which legend you believe.
In France, their version is called pain perdu ("lost bread") and was created as a way to use up stale, leftover bread. It's usually soaked in milk, and served with cheese. Pain perdu is considered a dessert, whereas in America it's much sweeter, soaked in milk, egg, and cinnamon, and served for breakfast.
(#8) Gyro
Gyros - as most people in Western countries know them - are an American creation. They became popular in New York in the 1970s, when Manhattan saw an explosion in Greek restaurants. Gyros became the hot new fast food item, since they were served in a portable pita and were substantively different from the usual hamburger options.
The true gyro originated in the general area of the Middle East (specifically Greece and Turkey), where it is known as a döner kebab and has been sold as street food since the time of Alexander the Great.
It consists of "slices of marinated lamb, mutton, beef, veal, or chicken which are stacked on a vertical spit and roasted at a vertical grill. It is served as a type of sandwich stuffed into Turkish bread, rolled into flat bread, or laid atop diced flat bread and topped with sauces."
The major differences found in westernized gyros today are the use of ground meat instead of meat sliced off a spinning roaster, and the occasional addition of french fries. They are usually topped with lettuce and tomato.
(#4) Pasta
Two of the most common "Italian" foods in America today are spaghetti and meatballs, and pasta with Alfredo sauce. However, neither of these are from Italy. When it comes to spaghetti and meatballs, it's a classic story of immigrant innovation. Italians had a dish similar to meatballs, but it was always eaten separately from pasta dishes. However, in America, spaghetti and canned tomatoes were some of the most readily available ingredients; combine that with the western love of pairing starch with meat, and the meatballs and pasta came together.
As far as Alfredo sauce goes, you're not likely to find any in Italy that resembles the American version. An Italian man named Alfredo Di Lelio created a pasta dish for his wife with a butter and parmesan sauce back in 1914; since it was very popular, he continued to use it when he moved to America and opened up a restaurant. The Americans loved it, but soon modified the sauce with ingredients like cream and eggs, which are not typically used in Italian sauces.
(#1) Fortune cookie
Fortune cookies actually originated in Kyoto, with local bakeries still producing a similar style of cookie. So, how did they get co-opted by Chinese-American immigrants? The answer lies with WWII - Japanese immigrants had brought the cookies to America, but their bakeries closed when they were forced into internment camps.
Chinese-American restaurants decided to pick up where the Japanese were forced to leave off, and fortune cookies have been associated with Chinese food ever since the end of the war.
(#2) French fries
Despite their name, french fries are actually from Belgium. The tradition actually began with fried fish - there was a region in Belgium where poor villagers would catch little fish in the local river and fry them. In the winter, the river was frozen so they used sliced potatoes instead.
Americans came upon the fried potato treat during World War I, and since the Belgian Army spoke French, they became "french fries." They have become popular in America as a side dish with ketchup or smothered in cheese and other toppings, but in Belgium the classic way to serve them is "with cooked mussels or with a fried egg on top."
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About This Tool
American food usually does not blindly pursue exquisite and high-end, fast and convenient food is more popular in the United States. The special cultural background of the United States has a great influence on its foods. If you want to understand American food culture, you must know more about American history, geography, and customs. Some of the most common foods in American are mostly innovative versions of European and Asian foods.
From burritos to pasta and German sausages, more other dishes from all over the world have been brought to the United States and become traditional American food. This is a collection of random 13 foods that are different in the United States.
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