Milkshakes are usually described as flavored milk and ice cream beverages, usually lavishly decorated and served cold. The first written mention, dating from 1885, was somewhat different, and the word was used to refer to a whiskey drink, similar to eggnog, which was used as a health remedy.
At the end of the 19th century, milkshakes were already prepared as milk-based drinks made with flavored syrups. The invention of malted milk powders which contained dried milk, malted barley, and wheat flour, along with the popularization of electric blenders, inspired the creation of a more familiar milkshake version.
MOST ICONIC Milkshake
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This simple fast food dish is made by topping french fries with melted cheese. Depending on the varieties of the dish, the cheese is sometimes enriched with the addition of various vegetables, meats, and spices. Although not much is known about the history of cheese fries, it is believed that it gained popularity after 1952, when canned cheese products became available in the United States of America.
What is known, however, is that this comforting side dish is a staple of numerous diners and fast food joints across the country.
MOST ICONIC Cheese Fries
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Grilled cheese is a classic American sandwich that is usually prepared with one or more cheese varieties that are placed between two slices of bread. The slices are buttered from the outside, and the sandwich is then shortly heated, typically in a pan or on a griddle, until the bread is golden and the cheese melts.
Although cheese and bread were a common pairing since the early 1900s, and the French have their own, similar Croque Monsieur sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich first appeared in the United States in the 1920s, when it was prepared open-faced, as a slice of bread topped with shredded cheese.
VARIATIONS OF Grilled Cheese
MOST ICONIC Grilled Cheese
These sandwiches typically consist of slices of sandwich bread with cheese in between. The cheese might be sliced or grated, and the sandwiches are then grilled, toasted, or fried so that the cheese melts. Apart from cheese, melt sandwiches can be filled with a variety of other ingredients, but depending on the choice of other ingredients, the sandwiches might become something entirely different, such as tuna melt sandwich (with added tuna and mayonnaise) or patty melt (with added meat patties).
MOST ICONIC Melt Sandwich
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The most popular food of the Southern cuisine, fried chicken is the theme of many arguments where everyone involved seems to have a favorite, be it what their mothers used to make, a cult roadside eatery, or a bygone restaurant. However, it is universally agreed that the meat must be moist, succulent, and tender, coated with a crunchy, golden-brown crust.
It all started during the colonization period, when Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing their fried chicken recipes along. The African slaves then introduced new seasonings and spices, and the dish quickly gained popularity. Typical seasonings include salt, pepper, and hot chiles, and the pieces of meat should be edible by hand so that the consumer can bite both the crust and the meat at the same time.
MOST ICONIC Fried Chicken
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Having nothing in common with the actual buffalo nor the American bison, Buffalo wings are actually named after the place of their origin - Buffalo, New York. There are numerous stories about the origins of these mouth-watering chicken wings, but the one that seems the most authentic says that they were first served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo.
In 1964, Teressa Bellissimo, the bar's owner, received a shipment of chicken wings by accident and didn't know what to do with them so she got an idea to deep-fry the wings and serve them in hot sauce with a blue cheese dressing and some thickly sliced celery sticks.