The Origin Of Mozzarella Sticks Actually Doesn't Go Back To Italy

These days, fried mozzarella sticks are a standard item on the menus of Italian restaurants all over the United States. Actually, you'd have a hard time finding a menu at most American restaurants that doesn't feature mozzarella sticks in their appetizers section. What's funny is that this deep-fried snack isn't even from Italy, despite being so commercially attached to that cuisine.

The first mention of frying and breading slices of cheese actually appeared in "Le Ménagier de Paris," a cookbook published in France in 1393. The original medieval recipe for what were then known as "pipefarces" doesn't mention any particular kind of cheese: The author only mentions using an egg wash and breading before frying pieces of cheese (they also suggest beef marrow as an alternative for cooking oil — brr). In the United States however, breaded sticks of mozzarella didn't start making waves until the 1970s and '80s.

Most sources believe that it was Wisconsin cheesemaker Frank Baker who first came up with the idea of deep-frying small pieces of cheese back in 1976. When the idea was adopted by casual dining restaurants like Applebee's, other eateries saw an opportunity in these deep-fried delicacies and added them to their menus. Though served traditionally with marinara on the side, mozzarella sticks have gone on to be served with a number of sauces, including melba, a raspberry sauce that's popular in New York's Capital District.

Next time you sit down to dinner at your favorite pizza place and want to order mozzarella sticks, take a second to appreciate the irony of eating an item that's technically French at a technically Italian-themed restaurant. Whether you're enjoying them as part of your Big Mozz burger at Sheetz, or taking part in the growing trend of adding them to grilled cheese, mozzarella sticks have found their way into more recipes and restaurants than you might realize.