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Ice cream - Misconception: that ice cream hails from Italy.

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Ice cream -

Iced treats are actually ancient. The Persians (modern-day Iran) were the first to commercially sell the treats, which consisted of ice flavored with fruits and/or spices. Pictured is an ancient type of ice house, in Yazd, Iran.

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Ice cream - However, ice cream made with milk was indeed introduced by the Italians in the Middle Ages.

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Noodles -

Chinese noodles are much, much older. In fact, a 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles was unearthed in China in 2005.

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Sandwich - Misconception: that the sandwich comes from England.

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Sandwich - The food as we know it in English was indeed named after John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, from 18th-century England. But his is far from being the first sandwich.

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Sandwich - The first recorded sandwich dates back to the 1st century BCE in Babylon. Hillel the Elder, a Jewish religious leader, used to eat leftover lamb sandwiched between matzo during Passover.

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Pasta -

Misconception: that pasta hails from Italy.

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Pasta -

Though pasta is the base of Italian cuisine and beloved around the world, the country wasn't the first to use unleavened dough, extruded and dried, then boiled.

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Croissant - Misconception: that the croissant hails from France.

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Croissant - Though the French adapted the original version by using the puff pastry we are familiar with today, the French didn't invent the original one.

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Croissant - Croissants are adapted from the Austrian kipfel (pictured), which got its shape after Vienna came out victorious in 1683 against the Ottomans, whose flags included the Muslim moon.

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Egg rolls - Misconception: that they hail from China.

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Egg rolls - Eggs rolls are inspired by the Asian appetizer known as spring rolls (pictured).

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Egg rolls - Though some dispute exists, a popular theory says that the egg roll was invented in New York in the early 1930s by Chinese immigrants.

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Samosa - Misconception: that samosas hail from India.

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Samosa - Though samosas are a popular appetizer in countries ranging from North Africa to Southeast Asia, the Indian variety is the most popular among Westerners.

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Samosa - The samosa was introduced to India by Muslim merchants from Central Asia in the 13th or 14th century.

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Cuban sandwich - Misconception: that it hails from Cuba.

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Cuban sandwich - As strange as it might sound, Cuban sandwiches were not invented in the Caribbean nation. They were, however, based on the Cuban medianoche sandwich (pictured), Spanish for midnight.

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Cuban sandwich - The Cuban sandwich was actually invented by Cuban workers in Florida.

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Coffee -

Misconception: that coffee has European roots.

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Coffee - It seems that the world is divided in two: the coffee drinkers and the tea drinkers, with southern Europe boasting a particularly celebrated coffee culture. However, coffee has other roots.

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Coffee - Coffee consumption dates back to 9th-century Ethiopia. Legend says that shepherds noticed their goats started dancing around after eating the berries of the wild coffee plant. The story may or may not be true, but we do have Ethiopia to thank for the rich, caffeinated drink.

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Vindaloo - Misconception: that it hails from India.

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Vindaloo - The dish is indeed popular in parts of India, but it originated thanks to an outside influence.

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Vindaloo - The dish is an adaptation of the Portuguese dish carne de vinha d’alhos (pictured), meat marinated in wine-vinegar and garlic, which they introduced to Goa. The locals started embellishing it with their own spices and ingredients.

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Spaghetti and meatballs - Misconception: that it hails from Italy.

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Spaghetti and meatballs - This comfort food was indeed invented by Italians, but not in Italy.

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Spaghetti and meatballs -

This popular dish was the invention of Italian immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1880 and 1920, and had to adapt to ingredients that were available to them.

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Fajitas - Misconception: that it hails from Mexico.

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Fajitas - Fajitas are a staple of Mexican restaurant menus around the world, but the dish isn't actually from Mexico.

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Fajitas - The fajita has its origin in 1930s Texas, US, so the dish is best characterized as Tex-Mex.

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Tikka Masala - Misconception: that it hails from India.

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Tikka Masala - Though there are different claims to the dish, one popular theory is that it originated in a very specific place in Europe in the 1970s.

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Tikka Masala - More specifically, Glasgow, Scotland, claims to be its cradle after a chef added sauce to traditional skewers of chicken pieces, called chicken tikka.

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Sauerkraut - Misconception: that it hails from Germany.

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Sauerkraut - Sour cabbage might be a staple of German food, but it comes from nowhere near the country.

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Sauerkraut - Around 220 BC, workers building the Great Wall of China ate fermented vegetables, called suan cai, with rice. Historians believe that Genghis Khan introduced fermented cabbage to Europe.

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Cheesecake - Misconception: that it hails from the United States.

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Cheesecake - New York may be famous for its stellar cheesecake, but the concoction is much older.

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Cheesecake -

The cheesecake can be traced back to 776 BCE, and some evidence suggests that the treat was served to those participating in the first Olympics in Greece.

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Tempura - Misconception: that tempura hails from Japan.

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Tempura - Tempura is a popular item on Japanese menus, but it was European visitors who introduced the batter to the Asian country.

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Tempura - Portuguese navigators brought the tradition of deep frying batter-coated fish to Japan, as it was a popular way of eating fish in Portugal (pictured is cod fish cakes).

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Fortune cookie - Misconception: that it hails from China.

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Fortune cookie - You usually get a fortune cookie when you eat at Chinese restaurants, so they must be Chinese. Wrong answer!

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Fortune cookie - The crisp and sugary cookie was actually invented in the United States, most likely in California. Some believe it is an adaptation of cookies made by Japanese immigrants in the late 19th or early 20th century.

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Fish and chips - Misconception: that it originated in England.

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Fish and chips - Yes, fish and chips is the ultimate British food, but, similarly to tempura, the method of cooking the fish came with Portuguese immigrants.

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Fish and chips - More specifically, Portuguese Jews who were fleeing persecution in their native country taught the Brits to deep fry batter-coated fish (pictured is fried anchovy, a traditional Portuguese dish).

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French fries - Misconception: that it hails from France.

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French fries -

France and Belgium fight over ownership of the popular side dish, but the general consensus is that Belgium is the actual cradle of fries (pictured is steamed mussels and fries, a traditional Belgian dish).

See also: Which is the best burger chain in the US?

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