The History of Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella sticks have their roots in Medieval French cuisine. A 1393 cookbook, Le Ménagier de Paris, called for breading cheese in a batter made of egg yolks, flour, salt, and wine, and then frying the creations in an iron skillet. However, while the mozzarella stick’s ancestry is French, the modern version is a distinctly American food. Modern-day mozzarella sticks began popping up in the 1970s in American sports bars and bowling alleys. The advent of the deep fryer, combined with the increasing availability of mass-produced mozzarella cheese from the 1960s onward, made the mozzarella stick possible. Food historians think that an enterprising bowling alley or sports bar cook probably combined the popular mozzarella cheese and new deep-frying technology in hopes of adding some pizzazz to the menu of finger food. The rest, as they say, is history, and mozzarella sticks are one of the most beloved foods in America today!