14 'American' foods that weren't actually invented in the US

Some great American classics have proudly been born in the states — the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the chocolate chip cookie, and the brownie all came into being on our shores.

But many other of the foods Americans know and love as a country just wouldn't exist without the country's immigrant heritage — and without people bringing delicious foods with them to the US on their long journeys.

We rounded up some foods you may think were invented in America but weren't. 

SEE ALSO: I'm an American person who ate like a French person for the week

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The phrase might be "as American as apple pie"— but it turns out, it didn't even come from North America.

Origin: England

Fans of heirloom apples are already well aware that apples came to the Americas by way of European colonists, and that the original apple tree, Malus sieversii hails from Asia — where it can still be found, according to Today I Found Out.

But the idea of baking apples in a pie also doesn't hail from American shores — the first recorded instance of an apple pie recipe has been traced to the year 1381 in England. That particular recipe also called for pears, figs, raisins, and saffron, according to Contemporary Food Lab. 

It's hard to imagine an American ballgame without hot dogs — but where they originated depends on who you ask.

Origin: Disputed; either Coburg or Frankfurt in Germany or Vienna, Austria

Before they became hot dogs, people in eastern Europe loved making sausages — including what eventually became the hot dog. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, we may never know its exact origins.

What we do know for certain is that European immigrants brought the sausages to the US and soon, they were a sensation.

The name may or may not be misleading — French fries weren't invented in America, but they also might not be French.

Origin: Disputed; French-speaking southern Belgium, Spain, and France have all laid claim

One story says that American soldiers first tasted fries during World War I in the south of Belgium, where locals spoke French. But the potato made it to Europe through Spanish colonization — and it's also possible that France was truly responsible for this delicious but unhealthy food that is beloved around the world, according to National Geographic.

This is another food that Thomas Jefferson brought to the US — requesting that his White House chef make "potatoes served in the French manner"for an 1802 dinner, according to Travel + Leisure.