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Diet & Nutrition

2005-09-01 14:36:00

Who invented the corn dog?

ANSWER: Sometimes, I spend sleepless nights wondering about different foods and their origins. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who wonders…"Where did _?_come from?" To answer your question concerning the Corn Dog, I did some research on the website of Chef Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Notes from the Kitchen. Just so you'll know, the Corn Dog was created in 1942 at the Texas State Fair by Texan Neil Fletcher. Following are some other fun food facts that I found:• Hot dogs or frankfurters are believed to have originated in Frankfurt, Germany around 1484, although some credited the creation to a German butcher from the early 17th century. The American hot dog on a bun is first believed to have been sold from pushcarts on the streets of New York City during the 1860s although there is some debate. What we do know for certain is that New Yorker Harry M. Stevens popularized the term "red hots" and cartoonist T.A. Dorgan gave them their famous name when he drew one as a dachshund on an elongated bun around 1906 and called it a "hot dog."• Americans eat more than 16 billion hot dogs each year. • Why Devil's Food cake is called Devil's Food? Research suggests that there is no one answer, but most agree that it is an American invention that appeared around the turn of the 20th century. Some believe Devil's Food is so called because it's sinfully rich and delicious. Others say the name is a play on opposites: dark and rich versus light and airy angel food. Just so you know, the difference between Devil's Food cake and Chocolate cake is the amount of chocolate used - more chocolate produces a dark, black, Devil's Food. • Brunch: it's not quite breakfast, not quite lunch. A British invention from 1895, brunch originated as a meal taken late in the morning or just around noon to make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. While the practice of having brunch did not catch on in the United States until the 1930s, today it is major part of many hotel and restaurant weekend menus.• The Hamburger: Although there is some question as to who exactly created it, there is no doubt that it's an American favorite since over 11 billion are consumed annually. Some culinary historians claim that the hamburger was introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 where a fellow by the name of Fletcher Davis sold a sandwich that was composed of a beef patty tucked between two slices of baked bread and dressed with mustard-flavored mayonnaise, onions and cucumber pickles. • Condensed milk, created in 1853 gained popularity wherever milk was unavailable or undrinkable in the heat. Gail Borden was a surveyor, inventor and businessman who settled in Texas and was known for surveying and laying out Galveston. He developed a meat biscuit in 1851, and after several failed attempts, finally developed a method to make condensed milk. Obtaining a patent from the U.S. Patent Office was difficult, but Borden was finally granted his patent in 1856. In the beginning condensed milk was a business failure. Then, with financial backing, Borden founded the New York Condensed Milk Company, later renamed Borden Inc., which grew into the largest dairy company in the U.S.• Condensed milk is milk reduced by evaporation, with sugar added. One can (14 ounces) is the same as a quart of whole milk with 7 ounces of sugar.• June of 1847, donuts were said to be invented. Believe it or not, the story holds that a sea captain created the doughnut when he cut out the un-cooked center of his mother's fry-cakes. Another story attributes doughnuts to the Pennsylvania Dutch and their fry cakes. But these stories are filled with holes because archaeologists have found petrified doughnuts in prehistoric Native American ruins of the southwestern U.S. • Twinkie creator James Dewar supposedly ate two Twinkies a day until he died in June, 1985.• The lollypop was created in 1909 by an employee, George Smith, of a Connecticut candy maker. He named it after a popular race horse at the time---Lolly Pop.• During World War II, Spam (a product that was first introduced by George A. Hormel & Company in 1937) became a popular ration of the military. Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other state per year, followed by Alaska, Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas. • It is said that the blender was invented in early January 1922 by Stephen Poplawski. He was the first to put a spinning blade at the bottom of a container and used his appliance to make soda fountain drinks. In 1935, Fred Osius (one of the founders of Hamilton Beach Company) improved on Poplawski's idea and came up with the famous Waring Blender. I'm sure you'll sleep better knowing these fun facts! If you have any food facts to add to this list, please email: editor@theqandatimes.com