Chapter 1
The accidental birth of a diner legend
Chapter 2
The science of the perfect melt
Chapter 3
The great debates and global twists
YOUR GOAL
Master of The great cheesy rise of the tuna melt
Ch 1 · The accidental birth of a diner legend
renato The Tuna Melt
A bowl of tuna salad took a little spill Right onto grilled cheese resting on the grill
renato In the 1960s and 1970s, millions of working American parents combined cheap canned tuna, cheese, and bread for
Fun Fact
Tuna melt origin: The legendary sandwich was born from a clumsy accident at a Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960 when tuna salad spilled onto a grilled cheese.
Glossary
lunch counter (noun)
A long counter in a restaurant or retail store where light meals are served to seated customers. A Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960 was the rumored site where spilled tuna salad created the melt.
A long counter in a restaurant or retail store where light meals are served to seated customers. A Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960 was the rumored site where spilled tuna salad created the melt.
Quiz
At which famous department store chain's lunch counter was the tuna melt allegedly invented?
Quiz
What is the main species of tuna that is legally allowed to be labeled as 'white meat tuna' in the United States?
Quiz
In which city was the tuna melt allegedly invented in 1960 when a bowl of tuna salad fell onto a grilled cheese?
Quiz
Which ingredient was originally marketed as 'the chicken of the sea' to help American consumers get used to eating it?
Quiz
What demographic shift in the 1960s and 1970s helped make the quick and cheap tuna melt a household staple?
Quiz
Before canned tuna took over, what was the primary protein used in early 20th-century American 'scrap salads' that preceded tuna salad?