Food history presents a complicated buffet of popular lore and contradictory facts. The Food Timeline sorts it out with its listing of when foods first appeared and where. Maple syrup arrived on the Western culinary scene in the seventeenth century when Pilgrims made contact with Native Americans, who'd been sugaring for some time. Though the chicken-fried steak the concept dates to 1824, "the 'chicken-fried'" moniker seems to be a mid-20th century invention." Fascinating list of food, I could click these links all day. [via Rebecca]