9 Famous Foods That Were Invented Completely by Accident

A surprising number of beloved foods exist purely because something went wrong in a kitchen and someone decided to serve it anyway.

Potato Chips

According to the popular account, a chef sliced potatoes unusually thin out of frustration with a customer's repeated complaints, and the result became one of the most successful snack foods in history.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A baker reportedly ran out of baker's chocolate and substituted broken chocolate bar pieces, expecting them to melt into the dough — instead they held their shape, creating the chocolate chip cookie by accident.

Popsicles

The story credits an eleven-year-old who accidentally left a stirred drink with a stick in it outside overnight, discovering it frozen solid the next morning.

Corn Flakes

Created after a batch of boiled wheat was accidentally left to sit too long, and rather than discard it, the resulting flakes were toasted anyway.

Nachos

Invented when a restaurant worker had to improvise a snack for customers with limited ingredients on hand, quickly combining what was available into a new dish that stuck.

Champagne

Early winemakers considered the bubbles in improperly sealed bottles a flaw for a long time before the effervescence became the entire point of the product.

Worcestershire Sauce

A batch of sauce was reportedly forgotten in a cellar for years, and when it was rediscovered, the aged version tasted completely different — and far better — than intended.

Ice Cream Cones

Popularized after a waffle vendor at a fair helped an ice cream seller who ran out of dishes by rolling a waffle into a makeshift cone.

Tarte Tatin

A French dessert reportedly created after an apple tart was accidentally left cooking too long, and flipping the caramelized result upside down turned a mistake into a classic.