When you are at your local watering hole the strangest thing happens. You stop craving that kale salad (ha!) and order your favorite salty, greasy bar food. How does that happen?
Alcohol enhances the taste of salt and fat; that’s why we crave bar food when we drink. On the other hand, salt makes the beer taste better. Sodium chloride (table salt) has an ability to temporarily weaken our bitter receptors. Consuming salty snacks makes the beer taste less hoppy and goes down smoother. That’s why alcohol and bar food is such a great combination.
The rules for our perfect bar food are simple: it has to be salty, crunchy and preferably fried. It has to come with a dipping sauce or cheese (if you can manage both you get extra points). And the most important rule: if you finish your drink before the snacks, you need another drink.
We’ve ranked our favorite 7.
7. Spinach and Artichoke Dip
6. Sliders
5. Jalapeño Poppers
Sometimes called an armadillo egg, jalapeño poppers are jalapeño peppers that have been hollowed out, stuffed with a mixture of cheese, spices, and sometimes ground meat, and then breaded and deep fried. Jalapeño poppers are one of the few bar foods invented by a major food company. While the actual date of the product launch is lost to time, Anchor Food Products (Wisconsin) applied for a trademark on the term “Jalapeño Poppers” on April 30, 1992.
4. Mozzarella Sticks
Fried cheese coated with a breading to contain the melted goodness, what can be better? You crunch into one and the cheese strings out in a gooey, fantastic mess. Some food historians think that the recipe for America’s favorite cheese snack originated in France in the 14th century and Muenster cheese was used. The original mozzarella stick was called a pipefarce.
3. Nachos
Another late night favorite, nachos are a Tex-Mex dish from northern Mexico. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya is credited with creating the dish in 1943. The original nachos were made for the soldiers’ wives that arrived to his restaurant after closing. Ignacio cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, added shredded cheddar cheese, quickly heated them, added sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, and served them. He called the dish “Nacho’s especiales.” Today nachos are served with a variety of toppings. “Loaded” or “epic” nachos are one of the most popular items on bar menus.
2. Buffalo Wings
Teressa Bellissimo, the owner of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, accidentally invented this American classic when one late night her son arrived unannounced with a group of hungry friends. Before 1964 chicken wings were primarily used for stock and were not the most desirable part of the chicken. That’s what Teressa had on hand, so she quickly fried the wings, tossed them in cayenne hot sauce and served them with some celery sticks. The dish became an instant hit.
1. French Fries
French fries are everyone’s favorite, but they are not as French as you might think! Their origin is traced back to 1600s Belgium. Poor villagers in Meuse Valley often ate small fried fish from the local river. In winter the river would freeze over, making it impossible to fish, instead the villagers would instead fry other foods, like potatoes. American soldiers were introduced to French Fries during World War I when they were stationed in Belgium. They called the fries “French” since that was the language spoken around them. Regardless of that mistake, French Fries are the number one snack in the world and there are countless ways to serve them. Consider trying the Canadian poutine; a dish consisting of fried potatoes covered with cheese curds and gravy!