We all tell little white lies sometimes. Whether it’s to spare someone’s feelings or make ourselves sound just a little bit cooler, these little fibs are generally gone in the blink of an eye.
But sometimes lies stick around. Foods, in particular, have a way of being named after the places they’re from. Or are they?
Here are 10 dishes that aren’t from the place they’re named after.
Related: 10 Things People Misunderstand About Popular Foods
10 Hawaiian Pizza
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Whether or not you believe pineapple belongs on pizza, the combination has been a staple of pizza restaurants for years. But not because of Hawaiians.
Pineapple and ham on pizza was actually introduced in the exact opposite of a tropical paradise: Canada. Greek immigrant Sam Panopoulos had extra pineapple in his pizza parlor and shared it with his customers, who liked it. For a long time, this little shop in Ontario was the only one with this concoction. So why is it named after Hawaii?
Panopoulus’ new dish came about in 1962, only three years after Hawaii became an official state. As a result, North America was obsessed with Tiki themes and island lifestyle, and most pineapples came from Hawaii. Plus, the brand of pineapple that Panopoulos used that day was called “Hawaiian,” and the name stuck.[1]
9 London Broil
If you ask a Brit if they’ve ever had a London broil, they’ll probably ask what the heck a broil is. This term for grill is not used in England, which is one hint to the fact that the London broil isn’t from the UK at all.
The simple dish is marinated steak, cut into thin strips, and broiled or seared over high heat. Originating in the 1930s, adding “London” into the name was a gimmicky way to make the meal seem more sophisticated and exotic, even though it was basically just cooked meat. This is pretty ironic, as the cut of steak used for a London broil is generally tough and muscular, hence the need to cut it thinly.[2]
8 Turkey
Which came first, the country or the bird?
It’s a difficult question, so let’s break it down. The bird we know today as the turkey was encountered by European traders in North America in the 15th century. At the time, Europe was mostly trading with Asia through the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey), leading to the belief that the bird came from the Turkish area. Because of this, the name “turkey” stuck, even though they come from an entirely different continent.
So, even though the land of Turkey existed before the bird, the name for the bird does come from the country.[3]
7 Salisbury Steak
This processed meat is a concoction of ground beef, chicken, pork, and other meats. It’s especially popular in America, where it’s often served in school-provided lunches and frozen dinners.
Though it shares the same name as a small town in the United Kingdom, it really has nothing to do with the country or the town. It’s named for James Salisbury, an American physician and chemist who advocated a meat-centered diet. His Salisbury steak was created for Union soldiers in the American Civil War, particularly those suffering from digestive issues.
Though there’s no proof that the meat dish helped with stomach problems, it was a cheap, high-protein meal that comforted the soldiers. It was used again during World War I, both as food for soldiers and an easy meal at home. Today, it’s generally found in TV dinners and other frozen meals, usually drowned in gravy. That’s how you know it’s American.[4]
6 Singapore Noodles
In the 1950s, Hong Kong, which was still a British colony at the time, saw a boom in international trade. Spice powders and curries from India flew into the country, leading to Indian-style food taking over. One of the most popular of these was an easy dish of noodles, vegetables, meat, and curry powder. The mix of Indian and Chinese food was similar to Singapore’s national dishes, and the noodles were named after the nation.
As Chinese food gained popularity throughout Europe and North America, so did the simple but delicious Singapore noodles. Any native Singaporean will tell you that the noodles aren’t eaten often in Singapore, as Singaporean food generally does not use as much curry as is required for the meal.[5]
5 Mongolian Barbeque
The Mongols are known for their exotic, adventurous style of living. And, of course, their barbecue, which isn’t even theirs.
In the 1950s, Chinese immigrant Nam Yip introduced Taiwan to cooking foods on a large, flat grill. Actual Mongolian food is usually cooked on an open fire, but Yip’s invention used Chinese stir-fry techniques. Yip selected the name “Mongolian barbeque” for his style of cooking as a way to make the food seem more exotic and exciting, not for its history or flavor, both of which lie in China and Taiwan.[6]
4 Danish Pastries
Danish pastries, known for their buttery layers and sweet fillings, aren’t actually Danish. They’re Austrian.
After an 1850s labor strike in Denmark, Danish bakers learned the techniques of pastry-making from Austrian bakers. They adapted them to local tastes, such as filling them with fruit and cream cheese. The Austrian kipferl eventually became more associated with Denmark, where they were called “wienerbrod.” As the pastry spread across the world, it became known as the “Danish” for its connection to the Danish people.
Denmark doesn’t seem to care that their most famous food isn’t actually original to its land. They still celebrate “Danish Pastry Day” every April 17.[7]
3 Russian Dressing
Similar to Thousand Island, Russian dressing is a tangy, mayonnaise-based salad dressing. Unlike Thousand Island, Russian dressing usually includes a bit of spice, thanks to the inclusion of horseradish and chili peppers.
The sauce goes back at least to the early 1900s, with multiple American cookbooks listing a mayo-based dressing as an alternative to vinaigrettes in salads. It is believed that it was called “Russian” because the original recipe contained caviar, a staple of Russian cuisine.
Many believe that we know the exact person who created it, as a 1927 article lists New Hampshire native James E. Colburn as “the originator and first producer of that delectable condiment known as Russian salad dressing.” Colburn had been selling “Colburn’s Mayonnaise salad dressing” at his store since at least 1910. There’s some debate whether Colburn was really the first to make it, but he was certainly the first to popularize it through retailers and hotels.
Interestingly, in Germany, Russian dressing is called American dressing.[8]
2 German Chocolate Cake
European chocolate is decadent and luxurious, with brands like Lindt and Cadbury being world-famous for their rich flavors. Within the European Union, Belgium produces the most chocolate per year, with Germany close behind. So the name for German chocolate cake makes sense, right?
Wrong. It’s not named after the country but after Samuel German, the 19th-century chocolatier who developed the dark baking chocolate used in the first-ever coconut-pecan layered cake. When the recipe was first published in 1957, the Dallas Morning News titled it “German’s Chocolate Cake” as an ode to German’s Sweet Chocolate.
As the years went on and the cake became more popular, the possessive form in “German’s” was dropped, either by accident or for length’s sake. The misleading name stuck, and even though you can’t make a chocolate cake with German’s chocolate these days, you can make the cake that is named for him. Even if you didn’t know it was named for someone at all.[9]
1 French Fries
French foods are famously quite elegant and lavish. Escargot, ratatouille, foie gras, and macarons bring to mind a fancy restaurant with tuxedoed wait staff, not a greasy diner. So, why is the crude creation of salted and fried potatoes included on the menu of French cuisine?
Well, it really shouldn’t be because French fries hail from Belgium, not France. Probably. There’s an ongoing dispute between the two countries as to where the original idea for deep-fried potatoes comes from, though the most popular theory attributes it to Belgian villagers along the River Meuse. They usually ate fried fish, but one winter, the river froze. The villagers fried potatoes instead, and thus, the French fry was born.
They’ve been in Europe for at least the 1700s and were popular in Paris during the Victorian Era. When American soldiers were stationed in Belgium during World War II, they started calling “frites” “French fries” because that was the language spoken in the southern regions of Belgium. When they brought the food back home, they called them the French fries. Notably, America is one of the only countries that calls them this, with most of Europe opting for the original “fries” and the UK calling them “chips.”[10]