July 4th is the most American holiday ever, right? It's filled with stereotypes of American foods: hot dogs,
hamburgers, potato salad, and apple pie. But, hold on. Plot twist, those July 4th foods aren't really American.

It turns out that none of these foods are American, but rather come from all over the world. Since the country is a melting pot, it makes perfect
sense that their food is also a diverse mix.

Here are 7 foods that
technically aren't American, but people still love them anyway:

1. Hot
dogs

This summer classic is definitely not American. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, there are varying claims to the original dog
's origin, from Coburg to Vienna to Frankfurt. It turns out it certainly wasn't from New York or Chicago.

2.
Mustard

This classic hot dog topping is probably the oldest condiment in the world. It originated
in Egypt before traveling across the world and landing on your burger.

3.
Hamburgers

Even though it seems that July 4th is built on hamburgers, its origins come from the Mongols. It was then brought to Germany where the ground meat was formed into patties and cooked, hence being called a "Hamburg Steak.
"

4. Apple
pie

We've all heard the saying "American as apple pie," but how accurate is that really? Turns out, not in the slightest. The first recipe for apple pie is in a 14th-century cookbook and is far from your grandma's apple pie. The pie crust
was basically a container for the baked fruits and did not even include sugar.

5. Potato
salad

Traditional German potato salad is served warm with oil, vinegar, and herbs. However, once it reached the United States
, mayonnaise was added, and it became a staple side dish for countless BBQs.

6.
Ketchup

Believe it or not, for a long time in history, ketchup didn't contain tomatoes. Ketchup originated in China around 300 BC as a fermented fish sauce, and then in the 18th century
, Britain created countless varieties. But it took until 1812 for the first tomato ketchup recipe to be published, and now 97% of Americans say they have tomato ketchup in their fridge.

Note: Ketchup originally meant "fish sauce" in the Fujian dialect. It is also known as fish juice. It is salty and very umami. ke-tchup is the Hokkien name for fish sauce.

7. Chips and guacamole
with guacamole

Guacamole originated as an ancient Aztec spread, which caught the eye of the Spanish colonialists. Since then, it has become increasingly popular with each passing year. It almost broke the internet when Chipotle released its official guacamole recipe in May 2015, perfect for pre-BBQ
snacks.

These foods prove perfect for July 4th because they celebrate the melting pot of American culture. All these different cuisines and cultures come together to create July 4th foods, showcasing the true strength (and deliciousness) of the United States
.