Origin of the hot wing
They are known by many names and tastes like Buffalo Wings, Chicken Wings, Spicy Wings or Wings. Chicken wings are named after their city of origin, Buffalo, New York. There are conflicting stories as to who actually discovered the combination of wings and hot sauce and the events that led up to the discovery. What we do know is that there is nothing better than a good batch of hot wings. The perfect recipe is hard to find, and it’s not as simple as buying some BBQ sauce, grilling up some chicken wings, and combining the two. What most hot wing lovers are looking for is the sauce that will silence the crowd; wing sauce so good no one can utter a word because they are consumed with a flavor that is indescribable.
Hot wings are sections of chicken wings (called wings or “flats”) and wing thighs that are sometimes deep-fried and then covered in sauce. Traditional Buffalo-style sauce is made up of vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter. This type of sauce and preparation has been added to many different types of chicken dishes such as chicken wings, chicken nuggets, boneless chicken wings, and popcorn chicken.
Chicken wings are believed to have been first prepared at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964 by Teressa Belissiomo, who co-owned the bar with her husband Frank. Dominic Belsissiomo is said to have arrived at the bar late one night with a group of his friends. Teressa needed a quick snack to feed the group. She then came up with the idea of frying the chicken wings and then tossing them in hot cayenne sauce. There are about 4 different versions of the hot wing story and why there are variations is unknown. The fourth floor had nothing to do with the Anchor Bar. A man named John Young also took credit for serving hot wings in a special “mambo sauce.” This dish became the specialty of his Buffalo restaurant in the mid-1960s. The Anchor Bar is best known for its contribution to the hot wing movement, but who the original creator was may never be known.
How popular are hot wings? According to the National Chicken Council, approximately 24 billion wings are sold each year. In 2008 at the Buffalo Wing Festival there were 78,000 people who consumed 560,000 hot wings, the equivalent of 27 tons. Hooters restaurant serves 30 million pounds of hot wings per year, this amount of wings would circle the earth at the equator. Hotwings are very popular; sales are highest during Super Bowl season (estimated 1 billion sold on Super Bowl Sunday).