By Ranita Ray
Oops, that was an accident! The kitchens around the world must have been humming this phrase since time immemorial while looking at a few foods being raved about by their patrons. From our favourite potato chips, popsicles to champagne, here is a list of 10 foods resulting from accidental creations.
In the late 1800s, at a request by John Harvey Kellogg, his brother Will Keith Kellogg accidentally made Corn Flakes by experimenting with stale maize and wheat.
In the 1930s, Ruth Wakefield, the owner of Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, accidentally created chocolate chip cookies when she added chocolate bar pieces into the cookie batter.
Cheese curls were accidentally made by crushing grain for animal feed with an extruder. The machine turned wet maize kernels into tube-like structures that were tasty when fried.
In 1958, a Dairy Queen franchisee, Omar Knedlik, accidentally froze sodas in his store. This led to the creation of the popular Slurpee, later adopted by 7-Eleven and renamed from the Ice dispenser.
In 1905, Frank Epperson accidentally made a frozen delight by putting sugar and soda powder. In 1924, his children asked him to patent and rename Epsicle to Popsicle.
Stephanie and Caroline Tatin, sisters and owners of Hotel Tatin, popularized the unique tarte Tatin. Stephanie's accidental invention of placing the crust on the bottom led to their famous caramelized apple pie.
Tofu's origin in ancient China is unclear. A cook accidentally spilt the coagulant nigari into the saucepan, or boiling soybeans were mixed with salt containing calcium and magnesium.
Yoghurt originated with Central Asian shepherds who preserved goat's milk in animal guts. The gastric bags' helpful bacteria thickened and soured the milk, revealing the discovery.
Winemakers accidentally developed champagne while making a basic white wine. Champagne didn't exist until stronger glass bottles were produced, and the golden, carbonated liquid tasted great.
In 1853, chef George Crum invented potato chips by slicing potatoes thin, frying them till crispy, then salting them. Saratoga Chips were the original name.