Everything that exists has its origin. The galaxy, the world we're living in, humans of all races, and the words we use to communicate have their story of creation some people are trying to dig deeper to understand. But did you know that aside from all these, foods have their origin too?
CATSUP
Before it became the sweet tomato sauce most of us love dearly, which we usually use to make our dishes flavorful, did you know tomato catsup's origin is fish guts? In the 17th century, the Chinese people invented 鮭汁 or kôe-chiap or kê-chiap made from fish guts, mixed with salt and spices. The mixture is then fermented, eventually creates the sauce, as shared by the National Geographic.
After several years, the world created a variation of this sauce. Europe tried to recreate the sauce using several ingredients such as mushrooms and strawberries. But it was just in the 1800s when the Americans made the sauce using tomatoes that captured the hearts of people worldwide.
INSTANT RAMEN
Created after World War 2, in a time where food is scarce, Momofuku Ando invented the instant ramen after he was inspired by people who used to huddle around in front of ramen stalls in Osaka. Thinking of how ramen can solve food scarcity, he then searched for an effective way to prolong noodle's shelf life and easier way to cook the meal, as posted by VOX.
He tried everything he can do, mixed the noodle with flour, oil, and other seasonings, but nothing worked. That is not until the noodle was thrown in the hot oil. This successfully created instant ramen.
Because of Ando's creation, the people in Japan were now able to have noodles just by boiling it in the water for a few minutes. The idea didn't just improve people's lives but it also altered Ando's from a tinkerer, he then became one of the multi-millionaire businessmen in Japan. Though he has already died in 2007, his legacy and contribution are still alive feeding a lot of people around the world.
POTATO CHIPS
In 1853, at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in New York City, George Crum accidentally invented potato chips after an unsatisfied diner complained about how thick and soggy their French fries were. To please his customer, Crum cut their potatoes thinly, popped it in the hot oil, and served it to him. Since then, a lot has loved the chips. Even until now people can't get enough of it.
