As the name suggests, these are foods and drinks that we wait for with excitement during holidays every year, but do you know their origin? Here’s a brief story of how 10-holiday foods and drinks came into existence. 

1. Gingerbread

The earliest form of gingerbread can be traced to ancient Greece and Egypt, where they were used for ceremonial purposes and after which the recipe underwent several modifications until it made its way to England where Queen Elizabeth took credit for decorating the cookies.

2. Apple cider

Apple cider was a recipe that was mastered by both the Greeks and the romance, but history records that when the Romans invaded England, they discovered that the drink that was already being enjoyed by locals.

3. Cranberry sauce 

Cranberry was only available fresh for own for two months until Marcus Uranus came up with the idea that changed the cranberry industry forever. He made canned berries, which became a jelly treat that acted as a sauce when warm.

4. Fruitcake

It is generally believed that fruit cake originated from ancient Egypt, where an early form of fruit cake was placed on the top of loved ones as a form of food for the afterlife.

5. Pumpkin pie

This delicacy can be traced to 1621 when American settlers made pumpkin pie (of sorts) without a crust. They stewed pumpkins or by filling a hollowed-out shell with milk, honey, and spices, and then baking it in hot ashes

6. Corned beef

There’s no controversy around the origin of this meal as the Irish take credit for it. It is the Irish-American variant of bacon and cabbage

7. Latkes

The first mention of Latke in history was the early period where Jews ate cheese pancakes as latkes in celebration of Judith, a celebrated heroine. It became popular in Eastern Europe in the 1800s as potato latkes.

8. Pecan Pie

Considered to be a variant of chess pie, it is widely believed that this meal was invented by the French in New Orleans in 1781. This was shortly after that they were introduced to by the natives.

9. Candy cane

According to legend, candy cane was not always striped; neither was it always in the shape of a cone. It became historical when a German choirmaster bent the sugar sticks into canes to appear as shepherd’s hooks.

10. Eggnog

The history of eggnog isn’t very clear, but culinary experts believe it originated from a Medieval drink called posset, a hot, milky drink.