Some dishes, or styles, are synonymous with a particular country. Haggis for example is definitely from Scotland, and rice is definitely from China. But what of other famous exports to the world? Some have been adapted (and then adopted) and now hail from somewhere else, but others have been just out and out stolen. Let's find out.
American Hamburgers
Forming ground/minced meat into patties was a popular dish in late 19th century Germany (from, yes you guessed it, the town of Hamburg), it was only after being exported to the US that it ended up between two slices of bread.
Pizza
Is it American? Is it Italian? This battle has raged on and off for years, but both of these countries can calm down and keep quiet.
Placing toppings on a flat bread type substance (commonly referred to as flatbread, obviously) has been done for centuries in the Middle East. Sure, it wasn't a pizza as we know it today, but it fits the dictionary definition.
Chinese Fortune Cookies
Many know this one, but if you didn't, it's an American thing. Possibly created by Chinese (maybe even Japanese) immigrants in California, but definitely hails from the USA.
Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs
Italians made it, but they created it in NYC, thereby making it an American dish.
French Fries
Remember when Americans were a bit upset with the French for some reason, and started calling them Freedom Fries? Fun times.
They need not have bothered because they actually come from Belgium.
Japanese Sushi
It took a while for the process of fermenting fish to arrive in Japan (about a thousand years in fact) from what is now Cambodia and Thailand.
The Japanese perfected it, but they didn't invent it.
French Croissants
The 'kipferl', a crescent shaped pastry was born in 13th century Austria. It wasn't until the French got a hold of it and added loads of butter that we get what we have today.
Italian Caesar Salad
Another dish created by a native of the country we all think it's from. We even have an actual nailed down date: July 4th 1924.
Nope, not American, it was born in Mexico, after Caesar Cardini ran out of ingredients and had to make a sauce on the fly for his restaurant. You'd be pleasantly surprised at how many dishes have been created this way.
Japanese Tempura Batter
Portuguese missionaries brought this to the shores of Japan in the 16th century as they had been doing this back home for ages.
British Battered Fish
Speaking of which, the good ol' fish and chips isn't British, it's Jewish, and the practice has been around for about 500 years.
The British added beer into the batter a couple of hundred years later, because of course they did.
Italian Tomato Sauce
Bflaof a cheat this one as tomatoes were not known in Europe at the time and had been imported from South America. Plus the first recorded instance of tomato sauce comes from Spain.
This one is virtually impossible to nail down. Write in if you can add to this mystery.
Japanese Katsu Curry
This one is convoluted. Katsu comes from the British curry, which in turn comes from the Indian curry, which in turn comes from the British invasion that made Indian curries what British curries are today that Katsu comes from.
Yeah, I think we just divided by zero.
American Apple Pie
As the saying goes, 'As American as Apple Pie', in actuality is English. Oh dear.
German Sauerkraut
Long before Germany was actually Germany, the Chinese were fermenting cabbage. Suan Cai is definitely not German.
Swedish Meatballs
The Ottaman Empire came up with this - a variation of Turkish Köfte - and it found its way to King Charles XII of Sweden whilst exiled from his homeland. He brought himself and this dish back home, and I guess everyone was happy about it.
American Hot Dog
Just like the hamburger, hot dogs are German, hence why dogs are called frankfurters (after the German town). Oh, and Wieners are from Austria.
And, yes, Oscar Mayer was German.
Belgian Waffles
Greeks came up with these a few thousand years ago, although the word waffle comes from the Dutch word 'wafel' for the honeycomb pattern. Definitely not Belgian.
Italian Pasta
It was Arab traders who brought this to Sicilly in the 8th century. Durum wheat grows perfectly in the climate there, and very quickly spread across the country.
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