Ever wonder where your favorite foods get their names? While some are straightforward (hello, chocolate chip cookie!), others have surprising stories behind them.
Today, we’re uncovering a fascinating culinary secret: foods and drinks named after real, live (or, you know, used to be live) Americans!
Join us as we explore the delicious legacies of 15 individuals who’ve earned a place in the American food hall of fame.
1. Eggs Benedict
Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street broker, supposedly created this breakfast dish in 1894 while nursing a hangover at the Waldorf Hotel in New York.
He ordered buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and hollandaise sauce. The hotel’s chef was so impressed that he put it on the menu, substituting English muffins and ham.
2. Graham Crackers
Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister, developed these whole wheat crackers in the 1830s. He believed plain foods could curb unhealthy desires and promoted a vegetarian diet.
Today’s sweet graham crackers bear little resemblance to his original creation. They’re now mostly known as ingredients in s’mores and pie crusts.
3. Caesar Salad
Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American restaurateur, reportedly invented this famous salad on July 4, 1924, in Tijuana, Mexico. Running low on supplies during a rush, he improvised with what he had.
The original contained romaine, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, boiled eggs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. Cardini’s daughter claimed he never used anchovies!
4. Salisbury Steak
Dr. James Henry Salisbury, a Civil War physician, created this dish in the 1860s. He believed heavily broiled beef patties could treat digestive problems and other illnesses.
Dr. Salisbury recommended patients eat the meat three times daily with hot water! Modern versions usually come smothered in gravy with mushrooms and onions as comfort food.
5. Arnold Palmer
Golf legend Arnold Palmer unintentionally created his namesake drink in the 1960s. At a country club, he asked for iced tea with lemonade, and a woman nearby requested “an Arnold Palmer” after overhearing him.
The refreshing drink combines iced tea and lemonade in equal parts. Palmer later partnered with Arizona Beverage Company to sell bottled versions of his accidental invention.
6. Cobb Salad
Robert Howard Cobb, owner of Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant, created this salad in 1937. Late one night, he was hungry and mixed leftovers from the kitchen’s refrigerator.
The original contained lettuce, avocado, tomato, chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, chives, and Roquefort cheese. He chopped everything finely and added French dressing, creating an instant hit among Hollywood stars.
7. Shirley Temple
Child actress Shirley Temple inspired this non-alcoholic cocktail in the 1930s. Bartenders at Hollywood’s Chasen’s or Brown Derby restaurant created it specially for her while she dined with adults.
The sweet, pink drink combines ginger ale, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry. Temple herself reportedly disliked the overly sweet concoction named after her, calling it “saccharine.”
8. Baby Ruth
The Curtiss Candy Company claimed this chocolate bar was named after President Grover Cleveland’s daughter Ruth in 1921. Many believe it actually capitalized on Babe Ruth’s baseball fame without paying him royalties.
The candy bar contains peanuts, caramel, and chocolate-flavored nougat covered in chocolate.
9. Oysters Rockefeller
Jules Alciatore of Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans created this dish in 1899. He named it after John D. Rockefeller, America’s richest man, because the rich sauce matched Rockefeller’s wealth.
The original recipe remains a secret! Most versions include oysters topped with a green sauce of herbs, butter, breadcrumbs, and then baked or broiled.
10. Peach Melba
Australian opera singer Nellie Melba inspired this dessert during her American performances. French chef Auguste Escoffier created it at the Savoy Hotel in 1892 to honor her success in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin.
The classic dessert features poached peaches, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sauce. Escoffier later created Melba toast for the singer when she was ill.
11. Waldorf Salad
Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel of New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, created this salad in 1896 for a charity ball. The original contained only apples, celery, and mayonnaise.
Modern versions add walnuts, grapes, and sometimes chicken. The salad became internationally famous after appearing in the hotel’s cookbook in 1896, cementing its place in American cuisine.
12. Roy Rogers
Named after the famous singing cowboy actor, this non-alcoholic drink emerged in the 1940s and 1950s. It provided children a special mocktail while adults enjoyed cocktails.
The simple drink combines cola with grenadine syrup and a maraschino cherry garnish. Its popularity soared alongside Rogers’ TV and film career, becoming a staple on children’s menus nationwide.
13. German Chocolate Cake
Despite its name, this cake has American origins! Sam German, an English-American baker, created Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate in 1852.
The cake recipe using his chocolate appeared in a Dallas newspaper in 1957. The apostrophe-s was dropped from “German’s” over time, causing confusion about its origins.
14. Bananas Foster
Chef Paul Blangé created this flaming dessert in 1951 at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Owner Owen Brennan named it after Richard Foster, chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission and friend of the restaurant.
The theatrical dessert features bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, then flambéed with rum.
15. Tom Collins
This classic cocktail’s name originated from an 1874 hoax that swept America called “The Great Tom Collins Hoax.” People would ask others if they’d seen Tom Collins, sending them on wild goose chases.
Bartender Jerry Thomas included the gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water drink in his 1876 cocktail guide. The refreshing summer drink remains popular nearly 150 years later.