5 foods you didn’t know were invented by accident

How did some of our favourite meals come to be? Did someone spend years in a kitchen mixing ingredients until they got it just right?

Sometimes, the answer is yes. But other times, some of the most popular foods we know today were invented by complete accident.

Here are five foods that were invented by accident, along with the fascinating stories and people behind their unexpected creation.

1. Popsicles

The popsicle was invented by an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson in 1905. Frank accidentally left a cup of soda with a stirring stick on his porch overnight during a rare cold period in San Francisco. The next morning, he found the soda frozen with the stick inside, creating the first popsicle. Frank called his invention the “Epsicle,” which was later renamed “Popsicle.”

2. Potato chips

Potato chips, one of the world's most beloved snacks, were invented out of spite by a chef named George Crum in 1853. Working at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, Crum became frustrated with a customer who repeatedly sent back his fried potatoes, claiming they were not crispy enough. In response, Crum sliced the potatoes as thin as possible, fried them to a crisp, and added extra salt. To his surprise, the customer loved them, and potato chips were born.

3. Corn flakes

Corn flakes were created by accident in the late 19th century by Dr. John Kellogg and his brother Will Kellogg. The Kelloggs were attempting to make a healthy, vegetarian food by toasting wheat berries. They accidentally left a batch of cooked wheat sitting out and discovered that it had gone stale. Rather than throwing it away, they decided to bake it, creating crispy flakes. They later experimented with corn, leading to the creation of cornflakes​.

4. Ice cream cones

The ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. A Syrian immigrant named Ernest Hamwi was selling thin, crispy pastries called zalabia next to an ice cream vendor. When the vendor ran out of dishes to serve ice cream, Hamwi rolled one of his pastries into a cone shape to hold the ice cream. This improvisation was a hit with fairgoers and led to the widespread adoption of the ice cream cone.

5. Yoghurt

Yoghurt’s origins might surprise you. According to legend, yoghurt was first created thousands of years ago by nomadic tribes in Central Asia. These tribes would carry milk in animal skins or pouches while travelling. The hot weather and bumpy rides would cause the milk to ferment naturally, creating a thick and tangy yoghurt-like drink. While the story might be a bit fuzzy, it's clear that yoghurt was a happy accident that turned into something delicious.

These delicious foods remind us that sometimes, mistakes can end up being wonderful discoveries.

This content was created with the help of an AI model and verified by the writer.