Randy Chandler
Blue cheese and buffalo wings are a classic pairing, but why? The Buffalo History Museum has delved into this question, uncovering that the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, first served wings with blue cheese in 1964. The story goes that Frank and Teressa Bellissimo created the famous dish when their son, Dominic, and his friends were hungry late one night. Teressa threw together some wings, margarine, and hot sauce, serving them with leftover celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. The combination of creamy, salty blue cheese and spicy wings proved to be a hit, and it's been a fixture ever since, especially in Buffalo, where it originated.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for pairing | Blue cheese and celery were served as an appetizer at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, in 1963 or 1964, the same time that the bar invented Buffalo wings. |
| Blue cheese is thought to have been served with the first plates of wings because it was available at the bar and helped to cut down the heat of the hot sauce. | |
| Blue cheese is still the preferred side for Buffalo wings, although ranch dressing has become more popular in other parts of the U.S. |
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What You'll Learn
Blue cheese stuffed celery was served as an appetizer at Anchor Bar
The Buffalo History Museum discovered a mid-1960s Anchor Bar menu that featured an appetizer called "blue cheese stuffed celery". Interestingly, the famous Buffalo wings did not even appear on this menu. The discovery of this menu may explain why the Anchor Bar chose to serve blue cheese and celery with its first plates of wings. The appetizer likely served to cut down on the heat of the hot wings, making it the perfect pairing.
The Anchor Bar's pairing of blue cheese and celery with Buffalo wings has become iconic, and the combination has endured for decades. The museum's library director, Cynthia Van Ness, has been collecting old Anchor Bar menus to better document the history of the restaurant and Buffalo's food traditions. Van Ness purchased one such menu on eBay, which dated back to 1963, just a year before the Anchor Bar invented its famous wings.
The concept of stuffing celery with cheese is not unique to the Anchor Bar, however. A similar recipe using butter and Roquefort cheese can be traced back to a 1949 Brown Derby Restaurant menu. Nonetheless, the Anchor Bar's role in popularizing the combination of blue cheese and celery with Buffalo wings is undeniable.
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Blue cheese cuts down on the heat of hot wings
Blue cheese is believed to cut down on the heat of hot wings. The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, is credited with creating the famous pairing of blue cheese and chicken wings in 1964. The restaurant served blue cheese-stuffed celery as an appetizer, which may explain why blue cheese has been a fixture of wing orders ever since.
Blue cheese has a creamy, tangy, and salty flavour that pairs well with spicy buffalo wings. The cheese is often served as a dip alongside the wings, made by combining blue cheese crumbles with sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Some variations include adding Greek yogurt, garlic powder, minced green onion tops, or fresh parsley to the dip.
The cooling effect of blue cheese on spicy food can be attributed to its high fat and protein content, which help to neutralize the capsaicin compound responsible for the heat in peppers. Additionally, the tangy and salty flavours of blue cheese can balance out the spiciness of the wings, making them more palatable for those sensitive to heat.
While ranch dressing has become a preferred side for many wing restaurants across the United States, Buffalo has remained loyal to its blue cheese tradition. The combination of creamy blue cheese and crispy, spicy wings has become synonymous with Buffalo's food culture, with some considering it a "holy grail combination."
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Blue cheese was already available at the Anchor Bar
Blue cheese was already a staple at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when Frank and Teressa Bellissimo created the now-famous Buffalo wings in 1964. The couple's adult son, Dominic, and his friends had requested a late-night snack, so Teressa threw together some wings, margarine, and hot sauce. To complete the dish, she served the wings with leftover celery sticks from an antipasto salad and house blue cheese dressing.
The Anchor Bar's early menus, some dating back to 1963, just a year before the wings were invented, featured blue cheese-stuffed celery as an appetizer. This discovery was made by the Buffalo History Museum's Cynthia Van Ness, who has been collecting old menus and memorabilia from the Anchor Bar to document the history of Buffalo's food traditions.
According to Van Ness, the blue cheese and celery pairing with the wings may have been a result of convenience, as these were ingredients the Anchor Bar already had on hand. The appetizer, with its dairy fat content, also helped to cut down the heat of the spicy wings, making it a complementary pairing.
The Anchor Bar's choice to serve blue cheese with their wings has had a lasting impact on the preferred side for this dish in Buffalo and beyond. While ranch dressing has gained popularity in recent decades among wing enthusiasts, Buffalo natives remain loyal to their blue cheese.
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Blue cheese is a popular choice in Western New York
The popularity of blue cheese with wings in Western New York can be traced back to the early days of the Anchor Bar. The bar's owners, Frank and Teressa Bellissimo, first created Buffalo wings in 1964 to satisfy the late-night cravings of their adult son, Dominic, and his friends. Teressa threw together some wings, margarine, and hot sauce, and served them with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, creating a combination that stuck.
The choice of blue cheese as a pairing for Buffalo wings may have been influenced by its availability at the Anchor Bar, as well as its ability to cut down on the heat of the spicy wings. Blue cheese has been a popular choice for Western New Yorkers ever since, with many residents swearing by it as the preferred side for their wings.
While ranch dressing has become a popular choice for many wing enthusiasts across the United States, it is considered almost heretical in Buffalo. In 2018, a local staple hot sauce, Frank's RedHot, caused an uproar by suggesting on social media that wings be paired with ranch dressing. This incident highlights the strong preference for blue cheese among Buffalo natives when it comes to their beloved Buffalo wings.
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Ranch dressing is considered anathema by Buffalo natives
While ranch dressing has become the preferred side for many US wing restaurants, natives of Buffalo consider it anathema. The Anchor Bar, which first served Buffalo-style wings in 1964, plated them with blue cheese and celery. This combination has been a fixture of wing orders served at restaurants in Buffalo for as long as most can remember.
The Buffalo History Museum's Cynthia Van Ness has been collecting old menus from The Anchor Bar to create a stronger record of Buffalo's food history. She discovered that the restaurant served blue cheese-stuffed celery as an appetizer around the same time that Teressa Bellissimo created the famous Buffalo wings. This may explain why Bellissimo chose to serve blue cheese and celery with her early plates of hot wings – and why they have been a staple in Buffalo ever since.
Ranch dressing, on the other hand, was invented in the early 1950s by Steven Henson, a Thayer, Nebraska native. Henson's "ranch dressing" mail-order business was thriving by the mid-1960s, and he soon incorporated Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products, Inc. and began manufacturing ranch dressing in larger volumes. The dressing was first distributed to supermarkets in the Southwest and eventually went nationwide. In 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by Clorox for $8 million, and Henson retired.
While ranch dressing has become a popular side for wings across the US, it has not replaced blue cheese in Buffalo. For Buffalo natives, the classic wing order comes with blue cheese and celery, and ranch dressing is simply not an option.
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Frequently asked questions
Blue cheese is served with buffalo wings because it cuts down on the heat of the wings.
Blue cheese was first served with buffalo wings in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.
Celery is often served with buffalo wings and ranch dressing is a popular alternative to blue cheese.
