Who REALLY invented "Buffalo Wings"?
It's not who most people think it is.
John Young, the true inventor of “Buffalo Wings”
Issue #284 American Culture March 21, 2023
As many people are watching the annual "March Madness" for the NBA, or are just enjoying binge-watching their favorite TV shows with friends and families, "buffalo wings" are often included in the snack tray.
But what are buffalo wings and how did they become so popular?
As usually happens when Black people invent something, the real story has been deliberately erased and replaced with a declaration that something was invented by white people.
This is what happened with buffalo wings.
Please make sure to view and act on the important information at the end of this article to help support “We Are Speaking.” Thank you!
The History of Chicken Wings in Black American Cuisine
Back in slavery times and through much of the 20th century, chicken wings were considered the least desirable parts of the chicken. There is not much meat on a chicken wing, and eating both wings from a chicken won't fill you up.
Slaves were given the wings from the chickens because no one else wanted them.
Later, when the pastor came to Sunday dinner, he was served first and allowed to take his choice of chicken pieces, then the other adults chose their pieces, and what was left for the children was usually the wings.
For many years in restaurants, the chicken wings were usually just thrown away or used for chicken stock.
How Fried Chicken Wings from Buffalo Became Popular
Just as Black people have always done, they made even the lowly chicken wings as a featured part of a full meal by frying them whole covered with a special batter, and then flavored with a special sauce.
This is where John Young comes in. Who? You may ask...
Today's "Buffalo Wings" are processed into two pieces, the drummettes and the flat, and are usually much smaller than the whole chicken wings Black people usually served.
In the 1960s, the city of Buffalo, New York, was segregated into Black areas and white areas, as were most cities during that time.
John Young moved to Buffalo from Alabama, just as millions of Black people moved north for greater opportunities.
He opened his restaurant, "Young's Wings and Things," in Buffalo's east-side Black area in the early 1960s, and it was the go-to place for wings.
Young deep-fried whole chicken wings and then covered them with his own recipe for "Mumbo Sauce," which originated in Jamaica. He sold his wings for 5¢ each, and people often bought a hundred of them for football games and other celebrations with family and friends.
People came from all over to eat at his restaurant and to buy his wings. Everyone in Buffalo, from the local politicos to the Buffalo Bills, made a pilgrimage to Young’s restaurant to enjoy his wings, which were left uncut, then breaded and fried, and slathered in his special tasty sauce.
Again, because of racism, John was unable to promote his wings and maximize his success beyond his local area.
Unfortunately, because of the rise in crime, riots, and other negative experiences with living in a racially segregated area in Buffalo, John Young decided to close his restaurant and move away from Buffalo.
But as Black people in Buffalo will tell you, John Young is the actual creator of "Buffalo Wings."
However...
How an Italian family came to be known as the "creators" of Buffalo Wings
Less than a mile away from "Young's Wings and Things" was a restaurant named the Arcor Bar owned by Italian-Americans Frank and Teressa Bellissimo. Frank often patronized John Young's restaurant and enjoyed his chicken wings.
As the story goes, one week, Teressa opened a box of chicken that she ordered, thinking the box held the larger pieces of chicken. She was shocked to find that the box contained chicken wings instead. Although she usually used chicken wings for chicken stock, with this delivery on a Friday, she decided to make chicken wings in a similar fashion to those of John Young.
Without John Young in Buffalo to promote his now-closed restaurant and special sauce, the Bellissimos took advantage to promote themselves, their restaurant, their sauce, and the name "Buffalo Wings" for themselves.
Anchor Bar is now a multi-state franchise with bottled sauce sold as far away as Japan, so famous that even Homer Simpson has visited in cartoon form.
Meanwhile, John Young returned to Buffalo in the 1980s to find that his wings and his sauce recipe had been modified and made famous as the "real" Buffalo Wings. Young died in 1998, still trying to claim the credit due to him as the actual originator of Buffalo Wings.
Today's "Buffalo Wings" vary greatly from the original. They are cut into two pieces, fried without any breading, covered in a version of hot sauce, and then served with blue cheese or Ranch dressing (which was also invented by a Black man).
John Young's daughter is still working to claim the fame for whole, uncut, deep-fried Buffalo Wings with Mumbo Sauce that she believes belongs to her father.
You can always leave any questions in the comments or email us.
This article is free to access for 3 days after publication. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5/month or less to access all of the articles and other benefits.
What else do Keith and Pam do?
Where else can you find us?
Click the link below to find out everything you need to know and review everything we offer for independent writers and creative and solo professionals.