A buffalo wing is a chicken wing that's been deep-fried and coated in a spicy, buttery sauce. Despite the name, these wings have nothing to do with buffalo (the large, shaggy animals). They're called buffalo wings because they were invented in 1964 at a restaurant in Buffalo, New York.

One night, Teressa Bellissimo needed to make a quick snack for her son and his friends. She took some chicken wings (which restaurants usually saved for soup or discarded), fried them until crispy, tossed them in hot sauce mixed with butter, and served them with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on the side. The combination was so delicious that it became a menu item, then spread to restaurants across America.

Buffalo wings are now one of the most popular appetizers in the United States, especially during football games and parties. The sauce is usually spicy and tangy, though restaurants often offer different heat levels, from mild to extremely hot. When you order buffalo wings today, you're eating a dish that started as a creative mom's improvised midnight snack and became an American classic.