After learning that the stunningly delicious tortilla chips at Rosita's in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, were created as the accidental byproduct of a cook trying to hurry up her food prep, I got to thinking how many other familiar foodstuffs have a similar story behind them. True or not…

The chimichanga was invented when Monica Flinn inadvertently dropped a burrito into a vat of boiling oil at El Charro restaurant, finally fishing it out to find the fried hunk of food was a great idea.

The French dip was born at Philippe's in Los Angeles when a server making a roast beef sandwich accidentally dropped it into a vat of gravy. His customer was in such a hurry he took it soaked. (Cole's P.E. Buffet has a different story, that it was made for a customer with such bad teeth that he needed it softened by a dip in gravy.)

In 1905 Frank Epperson stirred up a batch of from-scratch soda pop, but left his mixture outside, where it froze overnight with the stirrer standing upright. He licked the frozen pop and thought it so delicious he began marketing it as an Epsicle, now known as a Popsicle.

Coca-Cola syrup was originally concocted as a headache medicine. Someone added it to carbonated water and voila!

About the only thing I "invented" was a secret-ingredient Cincinnati chili when I set out to make a batch but realized I had no tomatoes, tomato paste, or tomato sauce whatsoever. I had just discovered Roadhouse barbecue sauce, so used it instead. I have made my non-Texas chili with it ever since.