Pizza Napoletana, anyone?

Chicken Kyiv is not from Kyiv? 10 classic dishes named after places

Image: Gor Davtyan

Some dishes are named after people, like Caesar salad or Fettuccine Alfredo, while others are simply a description of their main ingredients, like lobster rolls or clam chowder. However, some famous dishes are named after the cities, regions, or countries where an inspired cook created them. The following 10 go from the obvious to the surprising, so stick around and prepare to crave at least one of these!

Image: Clark Douglas

Since buffaloes don’t have wings, it’s safe to assume that the name origin for this delicious treat must come from something else. And, as the story goes, Teressa and Frank Bellissimo of Buffalo, N.Y.’s Anchor Bar created the dish in 1964. Supposedly, the restaurant received a shipment of chicken wings instead of backs and necks, so Teressa put them in the fryer and coated them with tangy hot sauce.

Another version of the story, as told by the couple’s son, Dominic, states that Frank first created the wings on a Friday night to provide his Catholic customers with something to eat when the clock struck midnight during Lent.

Image: mateya

Philadelphia’s prodigal lunch, the Philly cheesesteak, is arguably the city’s most famous delicacy. The grilled beef sandwiches were first made in 1930 and served at Pat’s King of Steaks, consisting of just grilled beef and white onion on a toasted roll, though provolone cheese was added to the recipe in the 1940s. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a deli not selling a cheesesteak in Philadelphia.

Image: Travis Yewell

A dressing defined by its creamy texture and tangy, salty, and slightly sweet flavor, Thousand Island was supposedly created by Sophia LaLonde in Clayton, N.Y. Her husband, George LaLonde Jr., was a fishing guide through the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River and provided meals for his tour parties. One part of the meal included "Sophia’s Sauce," a recipe that was later shared with the owners of the Herald Hotel. There, the dressing was first served to the public, where it was given its present-day name.

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A hearty pasta recipe, spaghetti bolognese was named after its place of origin, the city of Bologna, Italy. This meat-based sauce, very commonly used across the world to accompany noodles, is known to Italians as ragù alla Bolognese, but in the city of Bologna itself, the dish is known simply as ragù.

While the Bolognese sauce is a staple in Italian cuisine, the version served with spaghetti is more of an American adaptation. The Italian version is traditionally served with pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle. The sauce is often used in lasagna as well.

Image: Mateusz Feliksik

A city in southwest Germany, Frankfurt, is responsible for these delicious sausages, also known as hot dogs in the United States and Europe. Traditional Frankfurters are made from a blend of pork and beef. The meat is finely ground, mixed with salt, spices, and other seasonings, and then stuffed into a casing.

These sausages typically served in a bun, later became known as hot dogs, franks, wieners, or weenies. Nowadays hot dogs are a staple at American barbecues, baseball games, and street food vendors.

Image: Keenan Loo

A wild cabbage that thrived in the moderate climate of Brussels, Belgium, the sprouting vegetable originated in that city and is named after it. The Netherlands later became the largest exporter of Brussels sprouts, although they are currently grown around the world, including the U.S.

Brussels sprouts have a slightly bitter taste and a firm texture. When cooked properly, Brussels sprouts can be tender with a slightly nutty or sweet flavor. They are a traditional vegetable in Belgian cuisine, often included in festive and seasonal dishes.

Image: Nathan Dumlao

One would be forgiven to believe that such a quintessentially American dish as the hamburger was created in the United States but the beef patty that goes inside the bun was actually created in Germany. A local snack in the city of Hamburg named frikadelle, was served on its own. However, Americans developed the sandwich we know and love today by placing the patty inside a bun with salad. The dish’s popularity soared and has become one of the most enduring foods of the past 250 years.

Image: Tristan Gassert

The only item in this list that is not a food per se, but a drink, champagne is a prime example of something edible that was named after a place. This sparkling wine is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France and has forever been associated with luxury.

In its early days, champagne was enjoyed only by French royalty, but today it is celebrated by millions of people around the world on special occasions.

Image: Budi Puspa Wijaya

The second "only" on this list goes to the dish with a deceiving name. While the Chicken Kyiv is the national dish of Ukraine (of which Kyiv is the capital), its origins are more likely French.

During the early 1900s, French cuisine was very popular across Russia, and Empress Elizabeth sent many of her best chefs to France to study it. One of the dishes brought back and adapted was Cotelettes de volaille, a chicken dish that is very similar to the modern Chicken Kyiv. This dish was served in Kyiv to delegations returning from Berlin after the World Wars.

Image: Daniel L

A dish that is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. is the Korean barbecue. This preparation consists of marinated beef rib cross-sections cooked over direct heat. As its name implies, it comes from Korea.

Although Korean barbecue refers to several meat-based Korean entrées, including bulgogi (beef) and spicy pork, the most common type of meat associated with the term is the short rib variety.

COSMIC LEXICON

Discover Ten Astronomical Terms You've Likely Never Heard Before!

Image: Guillermo Ferla

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to space? Just imagine the variety of peculiar objects, scenarios, and environments awaiting there, some of them being completely unimaginable here on Earth.

While we are all familiar with stars, planets, moons, comets, and eclipses, there is a fascinating lexicon of lesser-known astronomical terms you have probably never heard of. Today we'll unveil 10 of these terms, each of which names amazing phenomena that will leave you speechless!

Image: Bryan Goff

Isn't it amazing to look up and see the beautiful stars that light up our night sky? But wait, because you haven't heard of magnetars yet!

A magnetar is a star, but not just any star. It's a type of neutron star born from the remnants of a huge supernova explosion. A magnetar differs from other celestial bodies due to its exceptionally potent magnetic field beating that of Earth by trillions of times. This immense magnetic capacity enables it to emit electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays and gamma rays, and also initiate intense seismic events known as starquakes.

Image: Viktor Forgacs™️

Yes, this word might sound like a delicacy from French cuisine or the name of a precious gem, but that is not what's going on here.

Short for "quasi-stellar radio source," a quasar is an incredibly luminous and energetic object that stands out at the center of some galaxies, powered by huge black holes. With its intense energy and luminosity, a quasar becomes a cosmic force that emits stunning amounts of electromagnetic radiation.

Nowadays, quasars are observed in distant parts of the universe, far away from Earth, offering scientists precious data about black holes and the early stages of galaxy formation.

Image: Doug Walters

Are you a winter or a summer person? Well, regardless of your preference, Absolute Zero would freeze the bravest of winter lovers.

Absolute Zero represents the theoretical lowest possible temperature. This concept plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of matter in extreme environments, such as those of outer space.

So, do you want to know what the coldest possible temperature is? It is an incredible -460 degrees Fahrenheit (or -273.15 degrees Celsius), also called 0 Kelvin, which results in particles reaching a state of minimal motion. You can be sure that weird things happen at such temperatures!

Image: NASA

While it may look like we accidentally dropped something on the keyboard, that is not the case. "Syzygy" is a real astronomical term that refers to the phenomenon of alignment of 3 celestial bodies.

It might not sound like the kind of word you'd expect to hear from a scientist, but this funny term is often used to describe the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. When these three align perfectly in a straight line, astronomers describe them as being "in syzygy."

If you stay updated on this month's astronomical events, you might "casually" drop this word into conversation with friends!

Image: OLHA ZAIKA

You may be familiar with meteorites, but have you ever heard of achondrites?

Achondrites are the lesser-known members of the meteorite family, distinguished by a specific characteristic: the absence of chondrules, which are small spherical grains found in other types of meteorites, a feature that makes them special and rare.

Achondrites are thought to originate from celestial bodies like planets or moons. Therefore, they could contain key information about those 'parent' celestial bodies and the events that shaped them.

Image: NASA

As you probably already know, Earth's orbit around the Sun isn't perfectly circular. At certain points, we are closer to the radiant star, while at others, we travel to more distant places. The term "aphelion" denotes the specific moment of a celestial body's orbit at which it reaches its greatest distance from the Sun.

Want to know how far away from our beloved Sun we can be? When Earth reaches its aphelion, something typically occurring in July, it's positioned an average of 94,506,364 miles from the Sun, although this distance may fluctuate due to various factors. In any case, don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Image: Melissa van Niekerk

Of course, celestial bodies' orbits not only have a point farthest from the Sun but also a point closest to it. The "perihelion" marks the opposite of the aphelion. That means it's the point where a celestial body is nearest to the Sun.

When Earth is at its perihelion, it is approximately 91,404,095 miles from the Sun, which occurs in the month of January. While it might not appear significant at first glance, the variance in Earth's distance from the Sun between aphelion and perihelion is around 3 million miles! You know, in the expanse of space, distances aren't exactly just around the corner.

Image: NASA

We have already identified the farthest and closest points to the Sun, so why not find the average? That's precisely what's been done, resulting in a measurement known as the Astronomical Unit.

So, the Astronomical Unit represents the average distance between the centers of Earth and the Sun, translating to about 92,955,807 miles.

Now, let's do some math (don't worry if numbers aren't your thing, we've got it covered). Based on the provided information, when Earth is at its perihelion, it's approximately 0.983 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun. In comparison, at aphelion, it's about 1.017 AU from the yellow dwarf.

Image: Braňo

Have you had the chance to take a look at NASA's photos of the Sun? Of course, these images have the power to astonish anyone as they show the glorious beauty of our nearest star. But if you take a closer look at those pictures, you'll notice lighter and brighter spots present in the photosphere (the visible "surface" of the Sun, a layer about 250 miles thick). Each one of these marks is called a facula.

In addition to their luminosity, these spots shine with intense heat, quite warmer than the surrounding areas, and they are found in regions with extremely powerful magnetic fields.

Image: NASA

As you can infer from the end of the word, planetoids are celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, similar to planets but smaller. We can think of them as the little babies in the cosmic family.

That's right, it's another name for minor planets or dwarf planets, such as the well-known Ceres and Pluto. And don't forget, asteroids are part of this category, too.

Planetoids differ from planets in several key aspects: they have a less structured composition and also have more irregular orbits. In addition, because of their smaller size (which can vary from just a few yards to several hundred miles in diameter), planetoids also possess less gravitational pull.