The 4th of July is the most American holiday ever, right? It's filled with stereotypes of American foods: hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and apple pie. But, hold on, plot twist — those 4th of July foods aren't really American.
It turns out that none of these foods are American, but instead come from all over the world. Since the country is a melting pot, it makes perfect sense that our food is, too. Here are seven foods that technically weren't originally made in America, but we still love them anyway.
1. Hot Dogs
This summer classic is not American in the least. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, there are varying claims to the original dog, from Coburg to Vienna to Frankfurt. Sadly, it certainly wasn't invented in New York or Chicago.
2. Mustard
This classic hot dog topping is probably one of the oldest condiments in the world. It started off in Egypt before traveling across the world and landing on your burger. But it hasn't always been used for food — here are some non-culinary uses for mustard that will take you back.
3. Hamburgers
Even though it seems that the 4th of July is built on hamburgers, its origins come from the Mongols. It was then brought to Germany where the ground meat was formed into patties and cooked, hence being called a "Hamburg Steak." Starting to get disgruntled? This 4th of July try this homemade all-American-style burger.
4. Apple Pie
We've all heard the saying "American as Apple Pie," but how accurate is that really? Turns out, not in the slightest. The first recipe for apple pie is in a 14th century cookbook and is far from your grandma's apple pie. The pie crust was basically a container for the baked fruits and didn't even include sugar.
5. Potato Salad
The traditional German potato salad is served warm with oil, vinegar and herbs. Once it made it to the States, however, is when mayonnaise was added and it became the staple side dish of countless BBQs.
6. Ketchup
Believe it or not, most of the history of ketchup is tomato-free. Starting in 300 BC, ketchup was made in China as a fermented fish sauce, and then in the 18th century Britain created countless varieties. But it took until 1812 for the first tomato ketchup recipe to be published, and now 97 percent of Americans say that they have tomato ketchup in their fridge.
7. Chips and Guacamole
Guacamole started out as an ancient Aztec spread, which caught the eye of the Spanish colonialists. Since then it has become more and more popular with each passing year. It almost broke the internet when Chipotle released its official guacamole recipe in May 2015, perfect for pre-BBQ snacks if you ask me.
So, who else is confused on what to eat to celebrate the 4th of July? Well, it turns out these foods are perfect for the summer holiday because they celebrate the melting pot of American culture. All of these different cuisines and cultures come together to create 4th of July foods, showing the true strength (and deliciousness) of our country.