The Surprising Origins of Corned Beef
In the emergence of America and the migration of people across the Atlantic, Jewish Americans refined the British Corning process into the one still used today. Similarly, Irish-American immigrants, now able to afford meat, were drawn to corned beef, a British commodity previously unavailable to them. They mixed the Jewish American form of corned beef with potatoes and cabbage, creating a nostalgic taste of home. Although more authentic to call it "authentic New York corned beef and cabbage," it was assumed to have originated from Ireland due to its association with Irish-American communities.
The Invention of the English Muffin
In 1880, baker Samuel Bath Thomas attempted to recreate the English crumpet for the American market and invented the "toaster crumpet." This flatter and less cakey version was an immediate success, marketed as an overseas delicacy in upscale hotels and restaurants. By the turn of the century, its name was changed to "English muffin" to sound more prestigious. Interestingly, it took another century before Thomas's company began selling the English muffin in England, reaching British markets in the 1990s.
