American Versions Of Food That Are Nothing Like The Original

The U.S. is one of the most diverse countries on the planet, so it's no surprise that its food scene is diverse, too. Most of the country's cities and towns are filled with restaurants serving food from all over the world. There are more than 10,000 Thai restaurants in the U.S., for example, more than 24,600 Chinese restaurants, and nearly 50,000 Mexican restaurants. And in and around these eateries, there are plenty of establishments serving American food, too.

Or are there? Today in the U.S., most restaurants and home cooks are serving up American versions of dishes that actually originated outside of the country, but with time, they have changed beyond recognition.

From chicken Parmesan to ketchup to french fries, America's versions of many world foods are not like the originals. Keep reading to find out more about the classic American dishes that didn't start their journeys in America at all.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a hearty, comforting dish that is loved by many people across the U.S. It's relatively easy to make, and thanks to the marinara sauce, it's loaded with rich tomato flavor. But while it's inspired by Italian cuisine, you won't find anything like it in Italy.

Spaghetti, of course, is eaten widely across Italy (although it may not have been invented by Italians — some research suggests pasta was actually created by Arabic settlers in Sicily, back in the 8th century). There, the thin pasta noodles are perfectly twirled around a fork and consumed in small portions with just tomato sauce or maybe olive oil and garlic. Sometimes they are served with fish, but never meatballs.

That's not to say that Italians don't eat meatballs — they do, but they tend to be much smaller than American versions, and they are often eaten with bread or in soup. Spaghetti and meatballs is actually an Italian-American combination, created by immigrants who moved from Southern Italy to the U.S. in the late 1800s. The move gave many families a financial boost, which meant they could afford more meat to pair with their traditional pasta recipes.

Chicken Parmesan is another American favorite. The dish — also loved for being hearty and comforting — is typically made with chicken cutlets, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce. Sometimes, extras are added, like spices or umami-rich pesto. But however you like your chicken Parmesan, it's unlikely to be anything like the original.

Chicken Parmesan descended from the Italian dish eggplant parmigiana, which is similar to chicken Parmesan in a few ways. It's loaded with rich marinara sauce, for example, and it's also slathered with mozzarella cheese. But there is one key difference. As the name suggests, in Italy, this dish is made with eggplant, not chicken.

This is likely because in 19th century Italy, when eggplant parmigiana likely was first created, meats like chicken were not easy to get hold of. This all changed when Italian immigrants started landing in the U.S., and they started seeking out new ways to make their favorite recipes. So, around the same time as spaghetti and meatballs, chicken Parmesan was born.

According to a survey by YouGov, fried chicken is the second most popular American food. But while it is viewed by many people in the U.S. (and outside of it) as a quintessentially American dish, fried chicken's roots likely lie outside of North America.

There are a few theories about where fried chicken came from. Many historians believe that it was brought to the U.S. by Scottish immigrants in the 18th century, for example, who, unlike their English cousins, liked to pan-fry chicken rather than boil or bake it. Others, however, suggest that fried chicken could have come to the U.S. with enslaved people from West Africa, who were removed from their homes by European enslavers and taken to the Southern states amid the transatlantic slave trade. Indeed, West African cuisine features lightly fried, seasoned chicken. Poulet yassa, for example, is a Senegalese dish consisting of fried chicken with onions, mustard, lemon, and lime.

The fried chicken that is enjoyed across the U.S. today is different from the lightly fried chicken of West Africa or Scotland. For one, it's usually deep-fried. But it's also often served with a mix of hearty sides like mashed potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. And, of course, it's also a fast-food staple. KFC sells its fried chicken buckets, fillets, and burgers in over 4,200 restaurants across the U.S. (and more worldwide).

Ask any American what their favorite pizza topping is and the chances are they'll say pepperoni. The sliced meat is a nationwide favorite — loved by meat-eaters, of course, but you'll even find plant-based pepperoni pizzas on the shelves, too.

Just like chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs, pepperoni pizza is another American take on an Italian classic. In Italy, the two most traditional versions of pizza are Margherita (which is topped with just mozzarella cheese, herbs, and and tomato) and marinara (which just features tomato). Now, you can find pizzas across Italy with many different toppings, but while you might see one with fresh sausage on the menu, you're unlikely to find one with pepperoni.

This is because, once again, pepperoni — which is often made with a mix of two meats (pork and beef) as well as spices like cayenne pepper, garlic, and paprika — is an Italian American creation. It was served for the first time not in Italy, but in New York in the 20th century.

Americans love many different types of pie, from pumpkin to cherry to blueberry. But there is one flavor that is particularly popular, and it is, of course, apple pie. While recipes and toppings vary from family to family (some swear by cheese on an apple pie, while others are more concerned about the best type of apples to use), most can agree that an apple pie is a beloved American holiday staple.

But apple pie isn't actually American, it's British. In fact, the first recipe for apple pie was printed in a 14th century English cookbook. It was called apple pudding, and as well as apples, it was made with figs, pears, and raisins. Unlike the apple pies that are baked across the U.S. today, the first-ever apple pie recipe did not call for sugar. This was likely due to the price of the ingredient at the time, which had to be imported from overseas and in today's money would have cost hundreds of pounds.

Apple pie started its journey to becoming an American classic centuries after it was first eaten. In fact, it wasn't until the 17th century that European colonists brought it to the U.S.

Coleslaw is a barbecue staple. It's often found chilling on a side table next to cookout classics like potato salad and corn on the cob. But coleslaw — which is made in many different ways, but most recipes revolve around mayonnaise, vinegar, and shredded cabbage — didn't actually start its life being served at U.S. barbecues.

It may seem bizarre to some now, but one of the first uses of coleslaw was as a medical treatment in ancient Greece. It wasn't called coleslaw back then, but the recipe for shredded cabbage and vinegar was very similar to the barbecue classic. It was used to cure and ease everything from flatulence to dog bites.

Shredded cabbage salads weren't just eaten in Greece. Over the centuries, they were enjoyed across Europe. The coleslaw eaten in the U.S. (and around the world) today is closest in recipe to a Dutch shredded cabbage salad, called koosla. Like with many Italian-inspired recipes, it's likely that coleslaw was introduced to the U.S. by Dutch colonizers in the 18th century.

You could be forgiven for thinking that cheesecake originated in the U.S.. After all, one of the most popular variations of the dessert is literally called New York cheesecake. But, like coleslaw, research suggests this fluffy, light, soft cheese dish started its life in ancient Greece.

Back in the 5th century B.C.E., ancient Greeks were making smooth round patties with ingredients like fresh cheese, flour, and honey. They weren't exactly like the kind of cheesecake you'd find today at, say, The Cheesecake Factory, but they were a pretty close ancestor.

Cheesecake recipes didn't stay in Greece. They evolved throughout Europe, but they were particularly loved in England. Old English recipes from the 14th century had a pastry base, so it was likely that it was English colonizers who brought cheesecake to the U.S. There, the dish continuously evolved, before it became the cream cheese-filled, graham cracker-crusted treat we know today.

Fun fact: It wasn't the English that created the New York cheesecake. That recipe, known for being particularly dense and creamy, is actually often credited to a German-Jewish restaurateur called Arnold Reuben (yep, the very same man who created the Reuben sandwich).

Remember that YouGov survey of American favorite foods we mentioned earlier? Fried chicken came in second, but the top spot went to french fries. In fact, according to the survey, fries are enjoyed by 85% of the U.S. population.

One of the most popular ways to get a fix of french fries is to head to a fast-food restaurant. McDonald's World Famous Fries, for example, are its top selling menu item. But the fast-food industry did not invent french fries. Despite the name, France might not have even invented french fries.

Legend has it that in a very cold winter during the 16th century, many Belgians began frying potatoes because they couldn't easily access fish to fry through frozen lakes, and thus, fries were born. But that's not the only theory about the origin of fries. Some attribute them to Spain, due to their similarity to patatas bravas (a fried potato dish that also dates back to the 16th century).

French fries were adopted by the fast food industry in the 1940s and 1950s, but they were already in the U.S. before that. Some say they were brought to the country by American World War I soldiers, who ate them in Belgium (although they assumed the dish was French, because Belgian soldiers spoke French). Others say it was American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson who brought french fries to the U.S., after he ate them in France during his time as the country's American minister.

Who was Joe, exactly? And why was he sloppy?

We can assume that the sloppy part comes from how messy this sandwich is to eat. It's all sauce and loose meat, so when you bite into it, it's guaranteed to splurge out. It's not a dish to eat when you're wearing your best whites, that's for sure.

As for Joe, there are a few theories. One theory goes that the messy sandwich was created in Sioux City, Iowa during the 1920s Depression as a cheap way to enjoy meat. One of the chefs who came up with it was called Joe, hence the name. But another theory puts the origins of the sloppy Joe outside of the U.S. completely. One popular origin story for the sandwich is that it was invented in a bar in Havana, Cuba, by a man not called Joe, but José Abeal Otero, who might have actually been sloppy (one theory goes that his nickname was Sloppy Joe). The sandwich Otero created may have been inspired by ropa vieja, which is a Cuban dish similar to the sloppy Joe, but with no bun and a little more flavor (it's ground meat mixed with spices, capers, olives, and raisins).

Today, sitting down to a feast of pancakes is a popular American breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) tradition. But pancakes are far from modern.

In fact, research suggests a type of flat cake similar to a modern pancake might have been made by our ancestors, more than 70,000 years ago, from mashed seeds. Centuries on, the ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed flat cakes cooked on a griddle and served with honey, while people in northwest China in 300 to 500 B.C.E. made similar thin cakes with millet.

It was in the 12th century that the Dutch invented the pannekoek — a type of pancake that is a mix of a thin, crêpe (which originated in France) and a thick American pancake. This set the wheels in motion for the creation of the type of pancakes seen on U.S. tables today. After all, it was the Dutch who brought the first pancakes to the North America in the 18th century.

Like french fries, burgers are now a fast-food classic. They're also a beloved barbecue staple, and they're a popular steakhouse order, too. Burgers are often made with beef, but the market for plant-based alternatives is booming, too. Because the truth is: Most Americans don't want to live in a world without them.

The kind of burger that is on menus today likely started back in ancient Rome. Then, people would grind meat and serve it with a mix of flavorings and spices. They were the first to prepare meat in this way, but they weren't the last. From the 1st century AD to the 19th, everyone from English cooks to Mongol warriors has been linked to eating burger-like recipes made with ground meat.

Most attribute the modern day beef burger to German immigrants who landed in the U.S. in the 19th century. But even they served meat that was more like chopped steak than burger patty. So as for who invented the type of fast-food burger that is popular today, there are a few theories.

It could have been down to the Germans. But many say it was Frank and Charles Menches, who were serving sausages at a county fair in New York, but then ran out of pork and started serving a beef patty, instead, who invented the hamburger. Others claim it was Charlie Nagreen, who, also at a county fair (this time in Wisconsin), decided to squash a meatball until it was flat.

When it comes to the best dip for french fries and the best sauce for burgers, ketchup is king for many Americans. Research suggests that throughout 2020, per Statista, more than 308 million Americans used ketchup in some capacity. But, you guessed it, while it's commonly associated with American food giant Heinz, this iconic red tomato-based sauce did not originate in the U.S.

Ketchup's story starts in ancient China, when people would make fermented pastes with various ingredients, including fish innards, meat, and soy. The paste was salty and packed with umami; British traders loved it and so they took the recipe and started creating their own versions.

Some recipes contained plum, others contained oysters, and eventually, after the paste made its way to the U.S., more and more recipes started to contain tomatoes. The first tomato ketchup recipe was created by a horticulturist in Philadelphia called James Mease, but it inspired plenty of copycat versions, both in the U.S. and Europe.

Mac and cheese is a popular dinner recipe across the U.S.. The simple dish (which consists of macaroni pasta and cheese sauce) has inspired countless variations. Some prefer it with a crispy top, some love it with pimento peppers, and some just love it out of the box. But however you make it, you probably like it for three key reasons: It's comforting, it's satisfying, and it's filling.

You might assume that because macaroni is a type of pasta, it can be traced back to Italy. And plenty of experts do agree that Macaroni likely came from Naples, but not all. In fact, some state that macaroni pasta may actually have been created in Switzerland, Italy's close northern neighbor.

In fact, one 15th century cookbook written by the author Maestro Martino in modern-day Switzerland features more than one recipe for macaroni pasta mixed with butter and cheese. But the history of this dish is not straight forward, because the history of Europe is not straight forward. While Martino was living on land that is now Switzerland, back then it was part of Lombardy in northern Italy. Whether it's Swiss or Italian, it's clear that mac and cheese is not American, but firmly European.