Buffalo History Museum tracks pairing blue cheese & the chicken wing
BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — As you break out the blue cheese to pair with your chicken wings for Super Bowl Sunday, we have a story you can share at your watch party.
The Buffalo History Museum has cracked the Anchor Bar origin of how blue cheese first got matched with wings.
WKBW
Outside the Buffalo History Museum.
Like a Nancy Drew mystery titled: ‘The iconic pairing, the History Museum’s Cynthia Van Ness has been able to unravel how the Anchor Bar started pairing blue cheese with chicken wings.
She bought an Anchor Bar menu on eBay from a seller in Orleans County that she says traces back to 1963 — just one year before the Anchor Bar invented their famous wings.
WKBW
History Museum’s Cynthia Van Ness.
“We discovered from this menu that they were serving blue cheese—stuffed celery as an appetizer. It’s like oh — that’s how blue cheese and celery end up on the plate with Buffalo chicken wings. I always wondered why blue cheese dressing — why celery — how did that combination come together? Well, it’s something their customers already liked and they’re already serving,” Van Ness remarked.
WKBW
History of chicken wings from Anchor Bar.
In 1964 Anchor Bar owner’s wife, Teressa Bellissimo, created the very first batch of the iconic chicken wing. But now Van Ness is like a chicken wing sleuth, piecing together why so many of us prefer blue cheese to dip them in.
WKBW
Anchor Bar menu is believed to be from 1963.
“From the Anchor Bar — from around the time that they developed the chicken wings — very exciting, because we didn’t have anything from this period before, so getting now before it goes in a recycle bin or something like that it’s really great so we can actually document their history better,” Van Ness explained.
WKBW
Old Anchor Bar menu.
If you’re a saver the…
..