The People Behind Your Plate: 10 Foods Named After Real Individuals
The People Behind Your Plate_ 10 Foods Named After Real Individuals
Ever tucked into a Caesar salad and wondered who Caesar actually was? Turns out, quite a few of the dishes we eat without a second thought are named after real people – some famous, some almost completely forgotten. Here are ten of them, and the stories behind the names.
Caesar Salad
Nothing to do with Julius Caesar, actually. It’s named after Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur who’s said to have thrown it together in Tijuana back in the 1920s.
Pizza Margherita
Named for Queen Margherita of Italy, with the tomato, mozzarella and basil deliberately chosen to match the colours of the Italian flag. A pretty clever bit of branding, really.
Nachos
Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, a Mexican maître d’, came up with these on the spot for a group of hungry guests. Tortillas, cheese, jalapeños – simple, and it stuck.
Beef Wellington
Most people reckon this one’s named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, after his win at Waterloo. No one’s entirely sure why a beef dish got the honour, but the name never left.
Eggs Benedict
The origin story’s a bit murky, but the name usually traces back to a New Yorker called Lemuel Benedict, who apparently just wanted a very specific breakfast order.
Pavlova
This elegant dessert was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, after she toured Australia and New Zealand. Both countries still argue over who actually invented it.
Peach Melba
French chef Auguste Escoffier made this one for opera singer Nellie Melba – peaches, raspberry sauce, ice cream. A proper tribute dessert if ever there was one.
Sandwich
John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, apparently just didn’t want to leave the card table to eat. Meat between two slices of bread solved that problem, and the name’s been around ever since.
Carpaccio
Thin slices of raw beef, named after the painter Vittore Carpaccio, whose work leaned heavily on deep reds – similar to the colour of the dish itself.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Alfredo di Lelio made this for his wife long before it became a menu staple everywhere. Started as something personal, this creamy pasta ended up going global.