All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles

I've always been fascinated by history, delving into the past and learning about the origins of so many matters. Our historical origins can tell us much about the present, and sometimes even the future. As such, I've written numerous articles on my blog delving into the history and origins of a myriad of foods and drinks. During the pandemic, as restaurants closed and large-scale tasting events were canceled, I shifted to writing even more of these types of articles. I've haven't stopped writing these historical articles, and are always pondering the next topic to research.

These historical articles require much more time and effort, perusing through thousands of old newspapers and books, using a variety of research tools. However, all that work can be rewarding and satisfying when you uncover startlingly information that had laid hidden for many years. And you might be contributing to our increased knowledge of some food or drink topic. 

For example, I was once informed that the earliest known document referencing Pechuga Mezcal was from the 1950s. Through my own research though, I was able to uncover numerous older printed references, extending back to 1863. This was an amazing discovery, furthering our knowledge of this niche beverage. 

To help bring more visibility to all of my historical posts, 65+ articles so far, and to make it easier to find them, I've compiled all of the links into this single post. It will be a repository for all of these articles, and I'll update it when I write a new historical article. This should be helpful to my readers who want to delve deeper into the fascinating historical stories and origin tales that I've uncovered. 

With my original research, I've written some extensive articles, sometimes breaking new ground and unearthing new information. I've shattered a number of origin stories, the commonly accepted tales, proving that these origin tales weren't true. In some respects, these articles can be considered works in progress, as I try to update them whenever I engage in new research.

I'm working on other historical topics for future articles. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear feedback. 

You might want to begin your reading with this relevant Rant:

Rant: Be Skeptical of Food & Drink Origin Stories

My numerous articles on Boston's Chinatown and Chinese Cuisine have their own Compilation Page. You'll find links there to my Nine-Part series on the History of Boston's Chinatown, as well as a multi-part series on the History of Chinese Restaurants Outside Boston and in Connecticut. There's also articles on the Origin Tales of various items, from the Pu-Pu Platter to the Eggroll. There's enough information in all of these articles to fill an entire book (or two), which I hope to do one day.

Food-Related Articles

The Origins of Chicken Fried Steak

The Origins of Chicken Fingers: Traditional & Chinese

George Clemmons: Hot Dogs & Murder Accusations

Hot Dog Joe: From Simple Hot Dog Vendor to National Celebrity

The Origins of Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

National Whipped Cream Day: Its Origins, Aaron Lapin & Reddi-Wip

Rant: Candy Apple vs Caramel Apple (With Some History)

Hot-Dogs & Ketchup: A Historical Look

The Origins of Spam, the "Miracle Meat"

The Origins of American Goulash

The Origins of American Chop Suey

The Origins & Early History of Chess Pie

The Origins of ABC: Almond Boneless Chicken

Bringing Back a Thanksgiving Tradition: Doughnuts

The Mosaic Sandwich: The First Double Decker?

Two-part series on A History of the Club Sandwich

A Brief History of Rappie Pie in the U.S.

Some Balut History: Duck Eggs to Quail Eggs

The Origin of Fried Chicken & Waffles

Pizza History in the U.S. (Part 1)

The True Origins of Hawaiian Pizza

Pastitsio: A Short History of a Greek Classic

Origins of the Hamburger: The First 20 Years (Part 1)
Origins of the Hamburger: The Sandwich Appears (Part 2)
The Origin of Salisbury Steak: The Hot Water Cure & Meat Diet
The Origin of Jimmies aka Chocolate Sprinkles

Origins of Manhattan Clam Chowder

What's Traditional Shepherd's Pie: A Historical Look

Three-Part Water Doughnuts: Some Bagel History 

More on the Origin of the Everything Bagel

Revealed: The First American Sources About Carrot Cake

A History of Bacalhau: A Portuguese Staple

Restaurant-Related Articles

An Early History of Slade's Barbecue

Closed For Nearly 50 Years: A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant
The Nile: "The Most Famous Syrian Restaurant This Side of the Pyramids"
Early History of Greek Restaurants in Boston

The First Vietnamese Restaurants in the U.S.

A Short History of Peruvian Restaurants & Chifa in the U.S.

Drink-Related Articles

Tranquilo Prosecco: A Still Wine, Not Bubbly

The Origins of Frappes & Milk Shakes

A History of Vinho Verde in the U.S.

The Origins & Early History of White Port
Historical Tidbits About Shochu in the U.S.
A History of the Sherry Cobbler (19th century)
A History of the Sherry Cobbler (Early 20th century)
Moonshine? A History of Sotol in the U.S.

Two-Part Historical Tidbits About Baijiu: The World's Most Popular Spirit 

Krug Champagne: Early History in the U.S.

A Short History of Franciacorta in the U.S.

The Birth & Evolution of the Mai Tai

Animal Alcohol: Lamb Wine, Pigeon Blood Wine, Spirit of Goat & More

The Rise of Tequila in the 18th & 19th Centuries

An Expanded History of Pechuga Mezcal

Switchel: A Colonial Drink from Russell Orchards

Ikalto Academy in Georgia: The Oldest Winemaking School

The Alsatian Connection to Tequila

The Manhattan Cocktail: Then & Now (Part 1)

Three-Part An Early History of Champagne

Four-Part The Origins of Port

Five-Part History of Sherry

Sake-Related Articles

A History of Sake Brewing in the U.S. (Currently under contruction)

Historical Tidbits About Sake in the U.S.

A History of Sake Brewing in Brazil

Early History of Sake Brewing in British Colombia

Three-Part The Origins & History of Sake