10 Famous Foods Invented by Accident

1. Bakewell Pudding. The Bakewell pudding is said to have been invented by accident in the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, England in 1860, following a misunderstanding between Mrs Greaves, the mistress of a local inn, and her cook. A nobleman visited and requested a strawberry tart, but an egg mixture was erroneously poured on top of the jam. Needless to say, the nobleman was a big fan of the resulting pudding, which is beloved to this day.
2. Eton Mess. The generally accepted story goes that a strawberry, meringue and cream pudding was dropped at a cricket match between Eton and Harrow in the late 19th century. Instead of being thrown away, it was simply scooped up off the floor and served, smashed to bits, in individual bowls. An even funnier version of how the messy dessert was invented involves a 1930s picnic, a pudding and an overexcited labrador ….
3. Worcestershire Sauce. When Lord Marcus Sandys, a former governor of Bengal, returned to England, he brought with him a recipe for a tangy sauce he encountered during his travels. He asked two chemists, John Lea and William Perrins, to replicate it, but the sauce didn't quite meet their expectations, so it was set aside and forgotten about. When the duo stumbled upon it again, they found that the sauce had matured and developed a rich, complex flavour.
4. Mozarella. According to Italian legend, mozzarella was created completely by accident centuries ago in Naples, when some curdled milk fell into a pot of boiling water at a cheese factory. The result? A delightfully smooth ball of fresh, creamy cheese that has since become the world’s favourite pizza topping. In Italy, it's made exclusively using water buffalo milk, though cows' milk versions abound in many other countries.
5. Caesar Salad. It is said to have been created by Caesar Cardini, an Italian chef, in Tijuana, Mexico. The story goes that business at Caesar's restaurant was so good on July 4, 1924, that the kitchen ran out of everything except lettuce, cheese, bread and the wherewithal for an egg-based dressing with a kick of Worcestershire sauce. The resulting salad was named the Caesar salad, and it went on to become a classic dish.
6. Cornflakes. Corn Flakes came about when Kellogg’s founders John and Will Kellogg attempted to make granola. The duo accidentally flaked wheat berry, then experimented with flaking corn – and quickly realised they were on to something. The recipe was perfected, and Corn Flakes were eventually rolled out across the world.
7. Crisps. Amazingly, these wildly popular savoury snacks were first created as a form of revenge. At Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1853, Cornelius Vanderbilt sent his French fries back to the kitchen for being cut too thick. In outrage, waiter George Crum prepared them again – making them as thin and hard as possible – and crisps were born. Although this origin story is sometimes contested, the restaurant is certainly where crisps gained popularity.
8. The Sandwich. The sandwich is named after 18th century English nobleman John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. It’s said that he was unable to leave a gambling game he was playing in, so requested that his servant bring him meat between two pieces of bread. The meal caught on, and people started saying, 'I’ll have the same as Sandwich'.
9. Aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in sugar-free food and drinks – and it was invented entirely by accident in 1965 by scientist Dr James Schlatter. While working on an anti-ulcer drug, the doctor licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper, and found that it tasted sweet. It's likely to be one of very few times that accidentally ingesting a chemical in a science experiment has led to a positive outcome.
10. In Switzerland in the 1930s, doctors wanted to give children who were in hospital vitamin-enriched milk to drink. The problem was, the children thought milk was too babyish and wouldn’t touch it. So cocoa butter was added, resulting in the accidental invention of white chocolate. This nutritionally enhanced chocolate product was so popular it ended up being widely sold, and a modern version is still available in Europe today.

(I should add that the list was prompted by the death of the alleged inventor of tiramisu, another example)