Most of us indulge in fast foods and many of these foods have become popular across the globe. We seldom think about the humble beginnings of some of the world’s most popular foods.
If we did, we would no doubt make some assumptions, such as pizza is Italian. Our infographic today explores the origin of the fast foods of the world with some insights into how they became so popular.
Many of these foods would have been quite different when first they were invented. Ice cream, for example, was made from goat’s milk yogurt. The recipe was brought to the West by Marco Polo. From there, in 16th century Italy, it evolved into ice cream as we know it today.
The Italians looked down on the humble pizza. The fast-food of the Neapolitan Greeks was largely unknown outside of Naples until the 1940s. Fast food became more popular in New York than in Italy. As immigrants from Naples started making and selling the flatbreads with ever more inventive toppings. The first pizza shop was licensed in Manhattan in 1905.
German immigrants brought hamburger steaks to the US. It was served as a steak in restaurants and was often the priciest item on the menu. During the Industrial Revolution, someone thought to place the patty into a bun and so America’s favorite fast food was born. Today hamburgers are made from a variety of meats and include chicken and vegan patties. Worldwide, Mcdonald’s sells 75 burgers every second from more than 39 000 restaurants across the globe.
There is even healthy fast food options available from most of the popular restaurant chains across the globe.