Food named after the person…

Did you ever wonder, how come some dishes, have the same name as some famous people?  Coincidence? well, no! let me tell you a story, about the long list of dishes, that were given the names, of famous, worthy, or rich people, and we are eating them till this day. I am sure is come cases; we have no idea how the name really came to be.  So, that is my plan for today. I did some homework, looking through old cooking books, and history journals, to find out the meaning and the story behind some of those names.  Of course, I will not be able to put all of them in this article, but I hope this eclectic collection of personalities, will quench your thirst for knowledge. So, without any further ado, let us find out, what is the meaning of Cobb salad, or Bismarck Herrings…

Oyster Rockefeller

A little old fashioned, but still popular American appetizer.  Oysters served on half-shells that are covered with butter sauce, breadcrumbs, and a variety of green herbs such as parsley. According to the legend, invented at Antoine’s in New Orleans after the chef ran out of escargot and found local oysters. One customer exclaimed that they were as “rich as Rockefeller”.

Battenberg cake

cake was created in 1884 to celebrate the wedding of Princess Victoria (granddaughter of Queen Victoria) and Prince Louis of Battenberg. Characteristically, it is quite a sweet sponge cake or Genoese sponge cake, baked with the same proportions of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. The cake is baked in a two-colors, that at the end allows you to create that characteristic checkerboard pattern, it smells like almonds, marzipan, apricots.

Talleyrand

There are many dishes named for the famous French statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838). A prominent negotiator at the Congress of Vienna, Talleyrand considered dining a major part of diplomacy, therefore the pineapple Savarin cake, is a perfect culmination of the political/business meeting.

Pavlova

Named after Russian Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). She came to visit Australia and New Zealand.  The incredibly light, merengue cake, was supposed to resemble her ballet tutu skirt. Always snowy white and filled with fresh fruits

Bechamel Sauce

Béchamel sauce, named to flatter the maître d’Hotel to Louis XIV, Louis de Béchamel, Marquis de Nointel (1630–1703). He was also financier and ambassador. Today, the sauce is one of the basic ones, used in such a variety of dishes, not only in French cuisine.

Beef stroganoff

Slow cooker classic dish of beef and mushrooms in a creamy brown sauce, served on top of egg noodles. It shares sit name with the Count Pavel Stroganoff.  According to the historical record, Stroganoff family oversaw management of bigger part of Siberia as far back as the 1300s, so this hearty meal probably helped keep them warm, during cold Siberian winters.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Chef Alfredo di Lelio chef from Rome, first created this dish. American tourists brought back the tasty dish, with them as a vacation souvenir.  The American version paid tribute to the Italian Chef, by keeping his name, but the recipe was updated by adding a substantial dose of cream that had not been the part of the original dish.

Eggs benedict

This dish, started here, in Manhattan.  One of the two origin stories, pointing out at the Waldorf Hotel. Apparently, Mr. Lemuel Benedict stepped into the Waldorf for brunch while having a hangover. He ordered the components of the future classic brunch dish, and the chef realized the harmony of all the ingredients together. And the rest is history.

Beef Carpaccio

Harry’s bar in Venice, around 1950s.  the dish It was primarily made for Contessa Amalia Nani Mocenigo. Apparently, she was advised, by her doctor, to eat more raw meat. This dish was dedicated to and named after Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio. The beef used in this dish is thinly sliced, and the redness of this beef resembles the red hues that the painter created in his artwork.

Doboschtorte or Dobostorta

Josef Dobos, well-known Hungarian pastry chef, (born 1847), created the multi-layered chocolate torte in Budapest or Vienna. He made the cake in 1885, for the great confectionery exhibition.  King Franz Joseph I and Queen Elisabeth were among the first to taste it. Eight thin layers of sponge cake, each of them baked separately and then layered with chocolate. Topped with a caramel coating. The round sides of the cake are coated with ground hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, or almonds, and decorated with the hardened caramel top.

Anna Potatoes

Created by French chef Adolf Dugléré somewhere in the 19th-century. For courtesan/actress Anna Deslions, who was a frequent guest at the Dugléré’s Café Anglais. The casserole of sliced potatoes, layered in the dish, and cooked in butter. “Potatoes Annette” is a variation of the original Anna Potatoes, with the potatoes julienned instead of in rounds.

Reuben sandwich

Reuben Kulakofsky is presumed to be the creator of this corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island classic sandwich. Apparently, he came with the idea, to stack everything on between slices of bread, simply to satisfy poker players in the back room of the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha back in the 1920s.

Crepes Suzette

Dessert created and named afterSuzanne Reichenberg. Famous French actress known by the stage name Suzette. In 1897, she appeared on stage serving crepes, provided by Monsieur Joseph, owner of Restaurant Marivaux. To attract the attention of the audience, he decided to flame the crepes. The dish was since named in the honor of the actress.

Frangipane

Muzio Frangipani, a perfumier in 1500s Paris invented an almond-scented perfume that became immensely popular among fashionable Parisians. French chefs, fascinated by the aroma, were inspired to create an edible version of Frangipani’s famed fragrance. That is how the fragrant almond pastry feeling came to existence.

Salisbury steak

Dr. James Salisbury, who give his name to this dish, was a propagator of new diet.  He lived and studied in the late 1800s, encouraging for an all-chopped-meat diet, especially for Civil War soldiers suffering from intestinal complaints. In his opinion, fruits and vegetables were not recommended. The large patty, made of ground beef, served with mushroom sauce.

Sachet torte

Beloved Austrian cake Sacheratorte, till this day remains one of the most famous chocolate cakes ever. Chef Franz Sacher created the cake in 1832 when he was only 16 years old. Layers of chocolate sponge interlayered with apricot jelly and topped with velvety chocolate frosting. The torte was created as an offering for Prince Wenzel von Metternich, who was visiting Vienna.

Mamie Eisenhower fudge

Chocolate homemade candy, apparently favorite in the White House. It was made by Mamie Eisenhower, who was the First Lady (1952 to 1960), as the wife of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Because it took advantage of packaged products from the grocery store, such as chocolate chips, evaporated milk, and a jar of marshmallow cream, this new fudge, quickly became extremely popular recipe, among housewives in 1950s and 1960s, borrowing the name of the First Lady.

Beef Wellington

This demanding in execution, yet stunning dish, was named in honor of the Duke of Wellington. He was the one, who famously defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, ending his historic reign in Europe. According to the tale, The Duke celebrated with this delicious victory meal of beef tenderloin, covered with and mushroom puree, and wrapped up in savory pastry crust.

Shirley Temple

The 1930s child star earned a drink, bearing her while out to dinner with her parents. Envious of the grown-ups sipping Old-fashioned, Shirley apparently used her charm on the bartender and got them to mix this mocktail of ginger ale (or club soda) and grenadine syrup. Till this day, it is a favorite (grown up) kids’ cocktail.

Banana Foster

first prepared at Brennan’s in New Orleans as a special dessert for a guest of honor, Richard Foster, head of the New Orleans Crime Commission. The exciting dish, sauteed in the kitchen and flamed table-side, delighted the Chairman and gained popularity in swanky restaurants around the country.

Chateaubriand

The fancy name does not refer only to a cut of beef, but to a method used to grill or roast a thick cut of beef tenderloin. The dish was originally invented in 1822 for a French diplomat, and statesman Francois René Vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768–1848), by his chef Montinireil while Chateaubriand was ambassador to England. When served in its country if birth, France, Chateaubriand will always be accompanied by a sauce – either a traditional red wine sauce or Béarnaise sauce (check my previous post about sauces).

Martha Washington’s cake

Martha Washington (1731–1802), wife of George Washington, is remembered for this fruitcake. Her original recipe for her “Great Cake” called for whooping amount of 40 eggs, 5 pounds of fruit, and similar quantities of other ingredients.

Cobb salad

Robert Cobb, the former owner of Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant, is credited in most tales, with the invention of the salad.  The most frequently repeated one, states that is in 1937, a hungry Cobb went to his restaurant’s kitchen for a midnight snack and ended up making a delicious salad with what he found in the fridge. His friend Sid Grauman (the owner of the landmark Grauman’s Chinese Theater) was with him at that’s precise moment, and from there he started ordering the “Cobb’s salad” when he came in to eat at the Brown Derby.

Chiboust cream

A dessert created to honor the patron of bakers – Saint Honore, was put together by the French pastry chef Chiboust in Paris around 1846. He came up with unknown anywhere else cream filling, called Chiboust Crème, aimed to fill his Gâteau Saint-Honoré. The filling is also called Saint-Honoré cream.

Christian IX cheese

Not every member of the Royal Family will share his name with cheese. In the way of honoring King Christian IX of Denmark (1818–1906), his name was place forever on this a caraway-seeded semi-firm Danish cheese.

Pizza Margherita

named after Margherita of Savoy, who was Queen consort of Italy from 1878 until 1900 during the reign of her husband, King Umberto I. In 1889, Umberto and Margherita took a vacation to Naples and visited renowned pizza chef Raffaele Esposito, who cooked the royal couple three special pizzas. Margherita particularly enjoyed one that had used mozzarella, tomato, and basil to mimic the colors the Italian flag, so Esposito named the dish in her honor.

Bismarck herrings

Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), chief figure in the unification of Germany in 1870 and first Chancellor of the German Empire, share his name with herrings. The Bismarck herring is pickled fresh, filleted Baltic herring, traditionally packed in small wooden barrels. Johann Wiechmann had a store in Stralsund, Germany, and his wife Karoline prepared the herring for sale. Wiechmann admired Otto von Bismarck and sent a barrel on Bismarck’s birthday.

Granny Smith

Granny Smith is an apple originating in Australia in 1868.  Marie Ana (Granny) Smith was the one who was owning the accidental, and not human modified new apple hybrid; therefore, the apple is named after her. The fruit is hard, with a light green skin and crisp, juicy flesh. The flavor is tart and acidic. It remains firm when baked, making it an immensely popular cooking apple used in pies, where it can be sweetened.

Kaiser rolls

(Emperor roll, German: Kaisersemmel), also called a Vienna roll (Wiener Kaisersemmel) originally, rolls made by a Viennese baker in about 1487 for Emperor Frederick V.  They are large and round, crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside, they have a five-point pinwheel design on top, which is meant to represent a crown. The crisp Kaisersemmel is a traditional Austrian food officially approved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

The Bellini cocktail

This iconic cocktail involves fresh peach puree mixed with Prosecco and is named after painter Giovanni Bellini. It was invented in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani of Harry’s bar in Venice and served in every Cipriani location around the world

General Tso chicken

Chunks of white chicken covered in tempura batter, deep-fried, and seasoned with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, and hot chili peppers. Believed to be named after Qing Dynasty politician and military leader Zuo Zongtang, often referred to as General Tso.

Caesar salad

You might think that Julius Caesar of Ancient Rome is somehow responsible for this crunchy salad, but in fact, the Caesar who gets the credit here is Mr. Caesar Cardini. He invented this crispy romaine lettuce dish, in Tijuana, Mexico. While Caesar came up with virtually every element, his brother Alex, put the cherry on top, by adding the anchovy to the dressing, which enhances the umami flavor

Lamingtons

traditionally made from a small square of vanilla sponge covered in chocolate and desiccated coconut, but they can also contain a layer of jam between two halves. It is said that they are named after 2^nd Baron of Lord Lamington Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie (c. 1860–1940), who was the Governor of Queensland (1896–1901). The Lamington legend state that he had some unanticipated guests, so his chef dipped leftover vanilla sponge cake in chocolate and coconut before serving them to the guests. It is just proves, that the best things are often created by accident

German chocolate pie

In 1852, chocolatier Sam German formed a baking bar named “Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate”.   Years later, Texas woman sent a cake recipe using German’s Sweet Chocolate to a newspaper in Dallas in 1957, sales for the chocolate bar spiked, and the rest is history. In tome the ‘s disappeared from the name.

The Marie biscuit

created by the London bakery Peek Freans in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh.  He sweet biscuit became extremely popular throughout Europe. Particularly in Spain where, following the Civil War, the biscuit became a symbol of the country’s economic recovery, as bakeries produced mass quantities to consume a leftover wheat.

Clementine

named after a French monk, Père Clément Rodier, who lived in Algeria in the late portion of the 19th century. The monastery had an orchard, and here the clementine, which is a hybrid between a mandarin orange and a sweet orange, was discovered. These small, juicy oranges are delicious. Sweet and bite size, beloveds by kids and adults.

Peach Melba  

(also called pêche melba), is named after Helen Porter Mitchell.  It was the official, birth name of the famous Australian opera singer Nellie Melba. The dessert (as well few other dishes) creates in her honor.  Half a peach filled with cream set on a bed of vanilla ice cream and covered with raspberry sauce