Some of the best in the business, McDonald’s fries are ultra-thin, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. But they haven’t always been this way. Did you know in the 1940s, McDonald’s used to serve thick-cut wedges?

It was the soft steamed bun, breaded white fish, American cheese and tartar sauce of a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. The dish is one of the restaurant's only pescatarian items and was created to solve the problem of low burger sales on Fridays (due to Catholics abstaining from meat that day).

Can you guess these popular childhood snacks from their close-ups?

It was a Crunchy Taco from Taco Bell, filled with seasoned beef, shredded lettuce and shredded cheese. Nowadays, you can find Taco Bell in nearly 30 countries around the globe.

Finger lickin’ good Original Recipe Chicken from KFC. Colonel Sanders began selling this from a gas station in the 1930s and opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952. Later on its full name was dropped and KFC was adopted.

Discover the surprising origins of the world's most famous fast foods

Named the most influential burger of all time by Time, White Castle’s Original Slider features a thin, square patty with five holes to help it cook more quickly. Its Cheese Slider also contains onions and a slice of American, jalapeño or smoked Cheddar cheese. Feeling hungry? No need to search for your local outpost, you can buy them frozen from the supermarket.

These waffle-shaped fries from Chick-Fil-A are the best in the game. They’re cooked with their skin on in canola oil, and always the right balance of crisp and tender.

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Although its adverts refer to it as Big. Meaty. Tasty., Subway’s flagship sandwich is actually named after the New York transport system. Featuring layers of pepperoni, salami, ham, salad and your choice of bread, the Italian B.M.T. has helped the fast food giant expand to more than 40,000 locations globally.

It was the sugary glaze of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donut, which despite the brand’s myriad flavors is still one of the favorites. Glazed by a waterfall of warm sugar syrup, the recipe has barely changed over the years and is thought to have originally contained mashed potato.

Loved this? Take a look at fast food chains we wish hadn't closed

This highly-coveted dish is an Egg McMuffin, which features a fried egg, American cheese and grilled bacon in a toasted English muffin. Sadly, the McDonald’s all-day breakfast menu was removed from most of its restaurants in the US in 2020.

Find our copycat recipe for a sausage and egg muffin here

The drink everyone loves to hate, Starbucks’ signature seasonal offering features espresso, steamed milk, the flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and whipped cream. It was launched in the early 2000s following a decade of pumpkin spice fanaticism. Although nowadays it’s easy to believe the drink was what caused the craze.

Check out the food fad from the year you were born

Surely the glimmer of silver foil gave it away? It was a messy, close-up of a Five Guys Cheeseburger. What we love about this joint is that you can choose as many free toppings as you like, from pickles and grilled mushrooms to jalapeños and hot sauce. Also, that its thick, crunchy fries are cooked in peanut oil.

First introduced in 2005, Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme is a genius creation. For those who don’t know, inside the neatly-folded, hexagonal tortilla is its signature ground beef, nacho cheese, a crunchy tostada, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, all layered up in that order.

It was an Oreo Cookie Blizzard from Dairy Queen. The chain launched Blizzards, soft-serve ice cream with different types of cookies, brownies and candy mixed in, in the 1980s. They were so popular in the first year, the chain sold 175 million of them.

How can a simple sandwich featuring seasoned and breaded chicken, two pickles and a toasted, buttered bun be so good? The recipe for Chick-Fil-A’s Chicken Sandwich is locked up in Atlanta, but that doesn’t stop hundreds of fans from trying to replicate it.

Find out which fast food giants have revealed their secret recipes

One of the planet’s most popular pizzas, Domino’s has grown from a single store in Michigan to 17,600 locations in 90 countries, in 60 years. Customers can’t get enough of its signature floppy crust, generous coating of tomato sauce, thick layer of bubbling cheese and garlic dipping sauce.

A great big burger featuring a 4oz (113g) patty, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and white onion in a sesame seed bun, Burger King’s Whopper predates the Big Mac. However, the McDonald's burger is seen as its biggest competition.

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Chances are you’ve never stopped to notice the shape of your McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets as you’ve been in such a hurry to tuck in. However, a company official has confirmed they do come in different shapes with names: the boot, the ball, the bone and the bell.

Originally launched by Dunkin’ Donuts as a way to make use of the excess dough cut out of the center of donuts, Munchkin Donut Hole Treats are now so popular the company has designed cutters especially for the purpose of making them. Also, approximately five equate to one donut, if you were wondering.

Now take a look at these fast food favorite you can easily recreate at home

It's the minty green and whipped cream of a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, only available in American restaurants around St. Patrick’s Day. It's been served during the month of March for 50 years, except for a brief period in the 1990s.

Check out the fast food favorites the year you were born

It was of course the sesame seed top bun of a McDonald’s Big Mac, a burger with two beef patties, a three-part bun, Big Mac sauce, pickles, lettuce, chopped onion and American cheese. An iconic burger, it’s so widely available around the world, The Big Mac Index is used as an economic tool.

For more Big Mac facts, check out the incredible history of the burger here