While it may seem like a new invention, people have been chewing gum for centuries, all the way back to when the Mayas and Aztecs chewed on chicle, a natural rubbery substance extracted from sapodilla trees. Sounds tempting, right?
But it wasn’t until Thomas Adams Sr. got a supply of chicle through an exiled Mexican President in the mid-1800s that he tried to transform the chicle into an industrial material, only to note that when boiled and formed into pieces, and soon it was sold like chewing gum.
Champagne
The most celebratory of drinks almost wasn't invented at all. It was a complete coincidence that Champagne was created by accident in the 1490s. A changing climate in the Champagne region shortened the growing season and caused bottles to undergo a second fermentation when it warmed up in the spring, only to release carbon dioxide gas, popping the weak stoppers on their bottles.
What was once seen as a catastrophe eventually became something to celebrate in its own right. Winemakers managed to keep the bottles intact by adjusting their glassware accordingly, and today, we have something bubbly to celebrate special occasions with!
Buffalo Wings
Buffalo wings are the perfect storm of American snacking ingenuity, a bar food forged from Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.
One of two different versions claims that during the late 1960s, the barkeeper's mother, Teresa Bellismo, received an incorrect shipment of chicken wings when she actually ordered chicken necks. So she took the scraps usually meant for the soup stocks and decided to fry them and toss them in her signature sauce for their friends at the bar.
Raisins
We would never have thought that raisins were originally used as a decoration in 2000 BC in the Mediterranean. It took a few centuries for humankind to put a dried grape in their mouth and realize that perhaps it was ok to eat them dry.
Before becoming popular trading items, raisins were also used as prizes for sporting events and even medicine.
Bakewell Pudding
Although the true beginnings of this English dessert are not fully known, sources have it that it may have started in the town of Bakewell (obviously) back in the 1820s.
Mrs. Greaves had a cook working at the White Horse Inn who didn't follow the recipe properly. Instead of stirring the egg together with the almond paste and the pastry, she ended up smearing it on top of the jam. The baked mixture set like egg custard and soon became their customer's favorite dish.