Mozartkugeln, Oysters Rockefeller, Stroganoff, or a Beef Wellington – there are numerous dishes named after famous personalities. Some of them we encounter regularly, others less often. What delicious dishes and drinks do you know that are named after a person? Leave us a comment.

Does your mouth start watering when you hear Mozartkugeln, Kaiserschmarrn, Pear Helene, Carpaccio, Fürst Pückler ice cream, and Nachos? Then you might want to grab a snack for this article because it’s going to be delicious – but don’t worry, only on a linguistic level, as we’ll be diving into the tasty details about the origins of these dish names. Ready? Snack bowl in hand? Let’s go!

1. Nachos

Who doesn’t love Nachos? They’re just as essential to a good movie night as popcorn. These delicious corn chips are typically served with melted cheese, jalapeños, and often guacamole, salsa, spicy ground beef (Chili con Carne), or sour cream. Nachos were invented in 1943 in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya. He was a waiter and, one evening, welcomed a group of American soldiers from a nearby airbase. Since the cook wasn’t around, Anaya improvised with the ingredients he had on hand.

2. Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller are oysters prepared with parsley, butter, and breadcrumbs. They were named after John D. Rockefeller because they were considered as rich as the famous American businessman.

3. Carpaccio

Carpaccio is an Italian dish of thinly sliced raw beef, typically served with Parmesan, arugula, and lemon juice. It was named after the famous Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, known for using bright red colors in his works. The dish was invented in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, for his regular customer Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, whose doctor advised her to avoid cooked meat.

4. Stroganoff

Stroganoff is a dish traditionally made with beef in a sour cream sauce. However, there are many variations of the recipe, so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact ingredients. It was named after the wealthy and influential Russian family Stroganoff. The first known mention of the dish was in a Russian cookbook from 1871, and it was introduced to Paris in 1891 by a chef named Charles Brière. Over time, it gained popularity in Germany, particularly through Johannes Mario Simmel’s novel "Es muss nicht immer Kaviar sein" ("It Doesn’t Always Have to Be Caviar").

5. Mozartkugeln

Mozartkugeln are chocolate pralines filled with pistachio, marzipan, and nougat. They were invented in 1890 by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst, who named them after the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The original name was Mozart-Bonbon. The original handmade Salzburger Mozartkugeln are still produced by Fürst’s confectionery and sold exclusively at their shop and online. Due to a lack of trademark protection, there are many imitation products.

6. Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict consists of poached eggs with bacon or ham on a toasted English muffin (or toast), topped with hollandaise sauce. The dish was named after Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street broker. The exact origin of Eggs Benedict is unclear, but one theory suggests that Charles Ranhofer, chef at Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City, invented the dish for financier LeGrand Benedict, who complained that there was nothing “new” for breakfast. A recipe for "Eggs à la Benedick" can be found in Ranhofer’s 1894 cookbook The Epicurean. Another theory is that Lemuel Benedict himself requested the dish at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel as a hangover cure, and it was later named after him.

7. Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary is a classic cocktail made with vodka, tomato juice, and seasonings. It was sometimes known as the Red Snapper, although today that name refers to a different drink. The exact origin of the Bloody Mary is unclear. One legend credits Hollywood actor George Jessel, who, after a long night of drinking, mixed leftover vodka with tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice in 1927. Shortly afterward, a friend named Mary Brown Warburton spilled the drink on her white dress, exclaiming, “Now you can call me Bloody Mary, George!”

Another version suggests that the drink was named after Queen Mary I of England, also known as “Bloody Mary” due to her persecution of Protestants during the 16th century.

8. Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is a meat dish that has appeared in German cookbooks as early as 1900. Essentially, it is a variation of the older French dish Filet de boeuf en croûte (beef fillet in pastry). Beef Wellington consists of a beef fillet wrapped in duxelles (a mushroom mixture) and puff pastry. The name is said to come from Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. According to legend, after the Battle of Vitoria, he was served a pastry-wrapped fillet, which became his favorite dish. Back then, it was common to eat fallen army horses, so the original dish might have been made from horse meat.

9. Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster is a delicious dessert that originated at the “Commander's Palace” restaurant in New Orleans. The recipe involves bananas and vanilla ice cream served with a sweet liqueur sauce, sometimes flambéed. It was invented by the restaurant’s owner, Owen Brennan, and named after his friend Richard Foster, who was also the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission.

10. Battenberg Cake

Battenberg cake, also known as domino cake, is a sponge cake consisting of one uncolored and one usually pink-colored layer arranged to form a checkerboard pattern when sliced. The cake is glazed with a thin layer of marzipan. If you’re not a fan of pink, the sponge can also be cocoa-colored. The individual sponge bars are held together with apricot jam.

The exact origin of the cake is unknown, but it is believed to have been created in 1884 for the wedding of Princess Victoria and Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg. The four squares are said to represent the four Battenberg princes: Louis Alexander, Alexander, Henry, and Franz Joseph. Prince Louis Alexander became a British subject, changing his name to "Prince Louis of Battenberg." In 1917, he renounced his German titles and adopted the English translation “Mountbatten.”

Dishes Named After People

• Oysters Rockefeller – John D. Rockefeller, American entrepreneur
• Battenberg Cake – House of Battenberg
• Béchamel Sauce – Louis de Béchamel, French banker and steward of King Louis XIV
• Birne Helene – after the title character of Jacques Offenbach’s operetta La Belle Hélène
• Bloody Mary – Mary I Tudor, Queen of England
• Beef Stroganoff – Grigory Alexandrovich or Sergei Grigoryevich Stroganov, Russian noblemen
• Carpaccio – Vittore Carpaccio, Italian painter
• Caesar Salad – Cesare Cardini, Italian hotelier, restaurateur, and chef in Mexico
• Eggs Benedict – named after either financier LeGrand Benedict or stockbroker Lemuel Benedict
• Beef Wellington – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, British field marshal
• Pavlova – Anna Pavlova, Russian ballet dancer
• Sachertorte – Franz Sacher, Austrian confectioner
• Sandwich – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British diplomat and statesman
• and many more...

A Name Is Never Just a Name

The next time you sit down to enjoy one of these dishes, remember that what’s on your plate is more than just food—it’s a slice of history, culture, and sometimes a little serendipity. Whether the dish was named after a historical figure, a hotel, or simply created by accident, each one comes with a story that adds a little flavor to every bite. So, what's in a name? Turns out, quite a lot!