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Spaghetti Sandwich (USA: also as Supageti Sandwich; Setti Sando; Japan: Yakisoba-pan; Australia: Spaghetti Jaffle)

The Spaghetti Sandwich is made of second day spaghetti, a sauce and bread  as main ingredients. It may also include meat sauce, meatballs and cheese. The bread can be a buttered garlic bread or a split roll.

History: Nobody can tell with certainty when it was first seen. Many believe that it was created with leftovers of cooked pasta that was sandwiched between two slices of bread . In Japan, Yakisoba-pan is a Tokyo snack found in convenience stores and consists of noodles into a sliced bun often topped with mayonnaise. In Australia, Spaghetti Jaffle features toasted bread, known as jaffle. In the USA, the sandwich became recently popular on social media platforms as many restaurants and chefs feature it in their menus. Chef Elliott Moss cooking at Buxton Hall Barbecue says that the spaghetti is always of the next day. Several cookbooks include the Spaghetti Sandwich recipe.

Sources:

The Busy Parents: Recipe Book, By Kristy M. Lopez, Booktango, 2014

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Maamoul (Arabic: معمول‎ [mɑʕmuːl])

Maamoul is an ancient Arab shortbread cookie, usually stuffed with dates, pistachios or walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar. It may be in the shape of balls, domed or as a flattened cookie.

History: The Arabic word Maamoul is derived from the Arabic verb amala‎, meaning to “to do”. This small pastry is very popular in the Arab world and offered at Eid al-Fitr. Maamoul is usually made a few days before Eid al-Fitr, then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to the guests who come during the holiday. Arab Christians  eat them in the days before Lent and on Easter.

It is not certain why these cookies came to be associated with Eid al-Fitr and Easter. Many believe that they have a symbolic meaning and remind you that fasting is hard but there is a sweet reward within like Maamoul’s outer shell is bland but the core is sweet. It is certain though that these buttery cookies taste delicious after a month of fasting during Ramadan and Lent.

Kahk seems to be the indisputable ancestor of Maamoul, as it's depicted in temple paintings and carvings dating to the Pharaonic era in Egypt. In addition to nut fillings, Egyptians also have versions stuffed with agameya (a honey-walnut concoction) and loukoum (Turkish delight).

Sources:

https://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/arar/%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%84/

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Hot Cross Bun (United Kingdom)

A Hot Cross Bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins  marked with a  commemorative cross on the top made of dough or icing on top. Hot Cross Buns are associated traditionally with the celebration of Good Friday in the United Kingdom.

History: The Hot Cross Bun  is said to mark the end of Lent.  It also has a symbolic meaning as the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spices may signify the spices used to embalm Jesus Christ at his burial. There are various legends about  the Hot Cross Bun’s origins. One legend supports that a 12th century monk introduced the cross to the bun to honor Good Friday. The first definite record of Hot Cross Buns comes from Poor Robin's Almanac  in 1733 stating a London street cry stating: "Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs, with one or two a penny hot cross buns. Hot Cross Buns are available throughout Lent in the UK and in some Commonwealth countries where Easter is celebrated. 

Sources:

History of the Cries of London: Ancient and Modern, Charles Hindley, Cambridge University Press, 2011, p. 218

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/food-drink/Irish-hot-cross-buns-recipe-for-Easter.html

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Capezzoli di Venere (Italy, English: the Nipples of Venus)

Capezzoli di Venere are chocolate truffles made with buttery brandy-soaked chestnut filling combined with bittersweet chocolate, coated with  white chocolate and topped with a nipple of pink-colored white chocolate.

History:  We can’t tell with certainty when the dessert first appeared but food historians agree that it may have started in the kitchens of Caesar, the 1st duke of Choiseul and count of Plessis-Praslin. Known for his sweet tooth, one of his chefs experimented with sugar-coating almonds, the predecessor of pralines. Caesar is said to have counted many women with sugary treats  and candies and perhaps with Capezzoli di Venere. The name refers to the actual breast-shape of the truffle even if it is not known why it is in Italian.

The decadent treat became popular with the Amadeus and Chocolat movies. Although the original recipe creates a brownish truffle, the scene in Amadeus features  white, more camera-friendly truffles. In Chocolat, Capezzoli di Venere  keep their traditional brown color.  

Sources:

http://www.projectpastrylove.com/capezzoli-di-venere-nipples-venus/

Encyclopedia of Kitchen History, Mary Ellen Snodgrass,  Routledge, 2004  

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Japonesas (Gibraltar)

Japonesas are  fried in oil half-moon shaped doughnuts filled with custard and soaked in honey. These pastries are eaten by the Jews of Gibraltar during Hanukkah.

History: Jews arrived in Gibraltar during the 14th century and their cuisine has been influenced by both the Andalusian cuisine of the 13th century prepared by Muslims and Jews under al-Andalus and the European cuisine with the addition of custard. It is unknown when the Japonesas were served for the first time but food historians believe that it was during the 14th century. The first reference to a doughnut-like pastry  comes from Athenaeus in the Deipnosophists in 3rd century CE and then in medieval Muslim sources and Andalusian cookbooks of 13th century. Custard derives from the French word crustade or pastry case in which late medieval cooks baked egg and milk mixtures with other ingredients, including sugar, spices and nuts. Its first reference comes in the 17th century cookbook The accomplish Cook or the Art & Mystery of Cooking by Robert May. It is also unknown how and where Japonesas got their name from. In Spanish means a Japanese lady. Food experts think that there may be a reference to the Japanese dorayaki that has a similar shape - consisting of two pancakes sandwiching sweet azuki paste – but those appeared  in Japan during the early modern period (1600-1868), later than the Jewish pastry. Today, Japonesas are found in Gibraltar Jewish pastry shops.

Sources:

The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Oxford University Press, 2015

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Mochi Ice Cream (USA, Japan)

Mochi Ice Cream is a confection that comprises Japanese Mochi with an ice cream filling. The Mochi is made with sticky rice flour.

History: The founder of the Mochi Ice Cream is considered to be the Japanese-American business woman Frances Hashimoto who kept the best Mochi dough secret from her uncle, Ryuzaburo Hashimoto, the founder of the Japanese desserts and pastry company Mikawaya. She had the idea to combine small portions of sweet and creamy ice cream and wrapped them in Mochi dough. Hashimoto launched her business after years of trial and error in Hawaii in 1994. This fusion dessert featured seven different ice cream flavors. Today the company still exists and sells Mochi Ice Cream in twelve flavors including matcha green tea and Kona coffee. Although the dessert is popular in Japan and Asian neighborhoods around the world, it is still unknown in most countries.

Sources:

https://www.mikawayamochi.com

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Charlotte Russe (French: Charlottes à la Russe)

Charlotte Russe is a cake made with ladyfingers placed into an octagonal mold, filled with Bavarian cream and topped with more ladyfingers. The cake is chilled and removed from the mold and served cold.

History: Food historians believe that the Charlotte Russe was invented by Marie-Antoine Carême, a master of French cuisine. It was possibly named in honor of the visiting Russian Czar Alexander I. Others claim that it was named in honor of his former employer George IV's only child, princess Charlotte. Linguists  though think that  Charlotte comes from the old English word charlyt meaning a “dish of custard” so the origins of the name are indeed uncertain. The recipe was described as “Charlottes à la Parisienne or à la Russe” in his 19th century cookbook, the Royal Parisian Pastry Cook and Confectioner.  In New York City, Charlotte Russe was a popular dessert between the 1930s and 1950s. Sold from pushcarts, candy stores, and bakeries, it was made with a yellow sponge cake and whipped cream, topped with a maraschino cherry and filled in a cardboard holder whose center would be pushed up as to reveal more cake as the whipped cream was consumed. It is now considered to be one of New York City’s lost foods.

Sources:

Royal Parisian Pastry Cook and Confectioner, 1834, Mason

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/charlotte-russe

https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/CharlotteRusse.htm

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Sfougato  (Greece: Σφουγγάτο)

Sfougato is a savory dish made with beaten eggs, olive oil, spices and herbs. In different parts of Greece, it can be also found with potatoes and/or zucchini, often with cheese or milk and flour.

History: It originates from the word spogo or sfogo (sponge) because its texture is very similar to a sponge. Sfougato is a word that exists since the Middle Ages and in 16th century  the definition of Sfougato is  found in a simple language: eggs beaten and fried with onions and other spices. There are also indications that it was a special dish based on proverbs and popular sayings.

Sources:

https://sarantakos.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/omelette/

http://gevseis.blogspot.com/2013/07/sfougato.html

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Angel Cake (or Angel Food Cake, USA)

Angel Cake is a type of a sponge cake made with whipped egg whites, flour, sugar and cream of tartar. The cake is considered to be airy, fluffy and light mostly because it does not contain butter. Because of its texture, is it also known as the “food of angels”.

History: The Angel Cake originated in the USA in the mid 1800’s but nobody can tell with certainty where and by whom. Food historians suggest that it may have originated in the Southeastern Pennsylvania which was one of the major producers of cake molds. Others claim that it was first baked by African American slaves in the South because making this cake require a lot of labor to whip the egg whites. Its birth though has to do with the invention of the rotary egg beater that was patented in 1865 which became quickly a favorite tool in the kitchen; as it eliminated the hard work, the Angel Cake gained in popularity.

The first mention and recipe of the Angel Cake appeared in Lettice Bryan’s 1839 The Kentucky Housewife cookbook for a White Sponge Cake. The first recipe for Angel’s Food Cake appeared in the second edition of The Home Messenger Book of Tested Recipes by Isabella Stewart in 1878. Finally, the Angel Cake recipe  was published in the Boston Cooking School Cook Book  by Mary Lincoln in 1884.

Sources:

The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Oxford University Press, 2015

http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/14631

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Huminta (Bolivia)

Huminta is a snack made with fresh white corn, fresh cheese, sugar and lard that is boiled or baked wrapped in corn husks. The savory Huminta is often laced with spices including aniseed and aji chilies; the sweet version of Huminta  contains cinnamon and raisins.

History: It is unknown when and where Humintas were born. The word Huminta derives from the word jumint’a’ which has its roots in Quechua– one of the native languages of South America. In Bolivia, it is a street food sold by vendors often eaten with a cup of tea. Humintas are a native, pre-Hispanic South American dish that can be found in different versions in most South American countries and may have a different name.

Sources:

http://www.boliviabella.com/humintas-al-horno.html

http://spanglish-house.com/humintas-al-horno-to-celebrate-bolivian-week/

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Coney Dog (Detroit, USA)

Coney Dog is signature Detroit food consisting of a beef hot dog in a steamed bun, topped with beanless chili sauce, chopped raw white onions, and yellow mustard.

History: The Coney Dog is a variation on the classic American hot dog and its distinguishing characteristic is the chili topping without the beans.

The term Coneys is used to refer to the hot dogs themselves but also is a reference to the type of restaurants in which they are commonly served known as the ubiquitous Detroit Coney Islands. There is a contested debate about the birthplace of the Coney Dog. According to the Coney Detroit book, the dish's history goes back to the 1900s, when Greek immigrants came into the U.S. through New York's Ellis Island, not far from the certain birthplace of the American Hot Dog, Coney Island, New York. When they came in Michigan, they used the Coney Island’s name to create a slightly different hot dog. Although there are more than 500 Coneys in Detroit and surrounding areas, two are the most famous in Detroit: the American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island. The popular legend says that the American Coney Island was founded by brothers Bill and Gust Keros in 1919 on Detroit’s Michigan Avenue. A few years later, the brothers had a fall out and Bill opened his own in 1936, the Lafayette Coney Island, next door.

Sources: 

Coney Detroit, Joe Grimm & Katherine Yung, Painted Turtle, 2012

https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/08/how-coney-dog-became-detroits-signature-food/2779/

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Atole (Mexico)

Atole is a masa-thickened beverage made in Mexico. It is made with water, masa harina, piloncillo (a type of unrefined cane sugar), vanilla and cinnamon. It is often served as a street-food breakfast paired with tamales.

History: Atole comes from the Nahuatl word ātōlli, a maize gruel eaten since the Aztec times. Botanist Francisco Hernandez describes in 1651 how Atole was made in a report on the use of plants in Nueve España: “Atolli was eight parts water and six parts maize, plus lime, cooked until soft. The maize was then ground and cooked again until it thickened.” Author Fanny Chambers Gooch in her 1888 Face to Face with Mexicans book says: “I found plain Atole much the same in appearance as gruel of Indian meal, but much better in taste, having the slight flavor of the lime in which the corn is soaked, and the advantage of being ground on the metate, which preserves a substance lost in grinding in a mill”. Today many varieties of Atole can be found in Mexico both sweet and savory.

Sources:

Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, Andrea Lawson Gray, Adriana Almazan Lahl, AltaMira Press, 2013

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Biryani (India, South Asia)

Biryani is a mixed dish with rice, spices, yogurt and meat including lamb, beef and chicken that is popular within the Muslim population in the Indian subcontinent.  

History: Food historians disagree about Biryani’s origins and theories vary. The Indian food writer Pratibha Karan supports that the Biryani is an Indian invention, deriving from pulao which Muslim traders and invaders brought to India. Others believe that  Biryani is an Urdu word that comes from the Persian word for rice, birinj suggesting Persian roots. Historian Lizzie Collingham claims that it was born in the kitchens of Mughal court as a dish inspired from the Persian pulao and the local spicy rice dishes. It is uncertain if it was  originated in the North or South of India. Despite the disputed origins, today it is a Pan Indian dish consumed by Muslims. It can also be found in many variations in all countries of South Asia from Singapore to Sri Lanka.

Sources: 

Curry: A tale of cooks and conquerors,  Lizzie Collingham,  Oxford University Press, 2007

Biryani,  Pratibha Karan, Penguin, 2017

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Hummingbird Cake (USA)

Hummingbird Cake is a three-layered cake common in the US Southern States made with mashed bananas and crushed pineapples and cream cheese frosting.

History: It is not certain how the cake was named after but it was reportedly created on the island of Jamaica. It was initially known as the Doctor Bird cake, named after Jamaica’s national bird Doctor Bird which is another name for the Hummingbird made with diced bananas and crushed pineapple but without frosting. It is believed that in 1979, the Jamaica Tourist Board included the recipe for the Hummingbird Cake, along with other local Jamaican recipes in media press kits sent to the USA. In 1978, Southern Living magazine published the Hummingbird Cake recipe sent by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins and since then it has been the magazine’s most popular recipe. The cake typically has two or three layers with pecans, mashed or chopped bananas, canned crushed pineapple and is topped with cream cheese frosting.

Sources

https://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/hummingbird-cake#hummingbird-cake_2

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Feijoada (Portugal, Brazil)

Feijoada is a Portuguese origin stew of beans with parts of pork and beef. The stew is prepared over low heat in a thick clay pot. Today, Feijoada is considered as the national dish of Brazil where it is made with black beans and  a variety of salted and smoked pork and beef products; the traditional version includes cuts as pig’s ears, feet, tails and tongue. This rich stew is served with rice, sautéed collard greens or kale, orange slices and topped with toasted cassava flour. Feijoada can be found in Macau, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Goa, India and Portugal.

History: It comes from the word feijão, Portuguese for beans. The origin goes back to Northern Portugal where this dish is a Mediterranean tradition that traces back to the Roman period and colonization of Iberia. It is believed that Roman soldiers brought this habit of the beans with meat to every Latin settlement, and this heritage is the source of many national dishes in Europe today. In Brazil, it is believed that the slaves in cane sugar plantations took the leftover meats from their masters and mixed them with black beans, a local native staple.  Food historians argue that the history of Feijoada is directly linked to the cultivation of black beans in Brazil. As the crop was low cost, it became a staple food amongst European settlers in Brazil and was eaten by both the wealthy and the poor; the difference was that the upper-class enjoyed the dish with an assortment of meats.

Today, it consists a comforting dish in Brazil and is served during the weekends to be shared with family with batita.

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Celebrate-Brazil-with-Emerils-Feijoada-180951699/

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Beans-Pork-Rice-Collards

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Concha (Mexico)

Concha is a shell-shaped sweet bread roll covered with a sugar crusty dough. This roll has two textures, soft at the bottom and crunchy on the top. The soft part is made with wheat flour, water or milk, sugar, eggs, butter and yeast. The top crusty dough is composed of sugar, butter and white flour and flavored with vanilla or chocolate.

History: The name refers to a seashell, which is what it looks like. The origin of Concha is not known, but they are made from a yeasted dough similar to brioche. Its history traces back to the colonial era when the Spanish brought wheat and bread; later in 19th century, French bakers started to arrive in Mexico and by introducing the French bread like baguettes and sweet pastries played a major role in the art of bread making there. Food historians believe that this was the first time that bread began to appeal to the locals despite their initial dislike for wheat and a preference for corn. Conchas are eaten as a breakfast or afternoon snack, often dipped in hot chocolate.

Sources:

http://www.dirt.online/posts/6-simple-mexican-breads-tell-the-story-of-colonization-mixed-races-and-tradition/

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Doubles (Trinidad and Tobago)

Doubles are a snack-sized sandwich that consists of two fried flatbreads known as baras filled with a curried chickpea filling. The dough is also made with Indian spices.

History: Doubles are said to have been invented in 1936 in Princes Town, Trinidad by the local Indian descent population. The staple of Trinidad and Tobago’s street food culture is commonly eaten for breakfast and occasionally as a late-night snack and  is wrapped in a wax paper. The double breads, or double baras, gives it the name Doubles. The sandwich can be paired with an array of condiments like Trinidadian pepper sauce, pickled green mango or a tart tamarind sauce.

Sources:

http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/food/doubles-fried-caribbean-secret-you-should-know-about