Before the Napa Valley, there was Los Angeles. Yes, the first California winery was in downtown LA on Vignes Street and traces back to 1831. In 1908 the neighborhood, known as Frenchtown, was the home of Phillipe’s French Dip sandwiches.  According to Richard Foss, culinary historian, who spoke at the Ebell on Monday, the famous sandwich was either the result of a happy accident when the bread fell into the sauce or an accommodation to a beloved patron who was losing his teeth and needed soggy bread for his sandwich. Either way,  the French dip was born and can still be enjoyed at Phillipe’s.
In his talk, Seven Gifts From Southern California Kitchens To The World,  Foss described how the waves of immigrants to the greater Los Angeles area each brought their own tastes in food, and recreated their traditions as best they could in their new home. Some of these are nearly forgotten, while others have entered the culinary mainstream.
Frenchtown later became Chinatown where, according the Foss, the fortune cookie was invented. After the Gold Rush, many Chinese immigrated to California, which they called “Gold Mountain” to escape famines in China and find a better life. They settled in Olvera Street around the 1900. Americans loved dining on exotic American Chinese food.
The fortune cookie was a collaboration of the Chinese and Japanese cuisines and doesn’t exist in either culinary tradition. The Chinese would offer patrons fortunes on small slips of paper that would be presented by a trained bird. At some point, the fortune was added to the cookie, a tradition used by the Japanese. The Hong Kong Noodle Shop, founded in 1916, claims to have invented the cookie but according to Wikipedia, the claim has never been proven.
A wave of Asian immigrants came to LA in the 1960s brought Thai food. It was considered too spicy for most Americans until Tommy Tang created the Thai Beef Salad for Los Angeles that soon spread around the country.
These are just a few of the foods that LA immigrants  have invented in Los Angeles but there are countless other examples of how cooks and chefs have been inspired to bring their own traditions to create something uniquely Los Angeles, like Korean barbecue or barbecue chicken pizza. If you are interested in learning more about the culinary history of the region, check out the Culinary Historians of Southern California, Foss has served on their board for almost a decade.
For those interested in the heritage of beverages, Foss invites you to learn more at the Museum of the American Cocktail where he serves as the California Curator and continues to document the ways that immigrant cultures have shaped California cuisine.
