Everything has an origin story, even the food we eat. And in this case, these foods were created purely by accident. Oh, how sweet some accidents can be. When some people say necessity is the mother of all inventions, they don’t know how cheeseburgers and nachos came to be.
The next time you have a burger or a plate of nachos, you can enlighten your date or buddy with the facts you’re about to read. Bon appetite!
Cheeseburgers Were Invented to Cover Mistakes
There was once a young chef by the name of Lionel Sternberger back in the 1920s, and he accidentally burned a hamburger. So what he did was hide the charred spot under a slice of cheese.
At least that’s what the Rite Spot diner in Pasadena claims. The area’s chief of commerce, Paul Little, said, “Rather than throw it away, he hid his mistake and served it to a customer, who was delighted.” We are forever thankful to that young and clever chef.
A Wonder Nacho Improvisation
A man named Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya was a maître d’ at the Victory Club, a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico. One day, when a group of military wives crossed the border from Fort Duncan Army base and walked in, hungry for lunch, Anaya improvised a dish.
He covered a plate of tostadas with grated cheese, sent it through a salamander (a broiling device that heats the food from above), and topped it off with jalapeños. Tada!
