If you know me, you know that I’m a lover of all things buffalo, especially buffalo wings. However, I know for a fact that I am not alone (I’m talking to all of you Super Bowl fans out there!). The mere sight of the combination of buffalo sauce and chicken wings leaves mouths watering. It’s worth the research to appreciate the short history of buffalo wings, and discover what genius thought to bless the world with its creation.
Although there are several versions of the origin of the buffalo wing, a common ground between each version involves the Bellissimo family and the year 1964. The family owned a small restaurant called Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York (hence the name: buffalo wing).
One version claims that Teressa Bellissimo had nothing to cook when her son, Dominic, showed up for a surprise visit to their restaurant with some of his friends from college. So she just decided to make something quick and easy. She deep fried chicken wings, melted butter into cayenne pepper sauce, mixed both together, and viola! The buffalo wing was born.
Another version says that Anchor Bar had a mis-delivery on the wrong chicken parts and had to improvise on what to do with all the wings. Again, Teressa had a vision to coat the wings with her special sauce to create the buffalo wing!
But why the celery and carrots? Although not 100% certain, it is believed that these vegetables were the only thing available to serve as a side at the time. At least now we can have an excuse to eat some veggies with the perfect snack food.
In the end, whether it was Dominic being a typical college student who wanted to do something last-minute, or someone who could not take an order correctly, Terressa Bellismo is the ultimate Queen of Buffalo Wings.
Thanks to her, we now have a traditional Superbowl snack and restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop, and many others. We also have delicious recipes like buffalo chicken meatballs, buffalo grilled cheeses, or for a healthier option, buffalo cauliflower bites.
Is it a coincidence that “Bellissimo” is the Italian word for “beautiful?” I think not. Thank you, Terressa, for making the history of buffalo wings.