? Day 241 of Vintage 365 ?
As someone with a melting pot of origins comprising my ancestry, one of my favourite ways for years now to describe my genealogical background is to say that I'm a "Heinz 57 of European nationalities".
Of the I've been able to conclusively determine through my genealogical research there's British, French (and French Canadian), German, Russian, Prussian, Polish, and (wayyyyy back) Danish. I don?t for a second that others are whirling around in the mix, too.
Many of us have similar backgrounds, made up of ancestors who hailed from various corners of the world, so it comes as to surprise that when I use this term, others have been quick to eagerly adopt it for their own use. I don't mind in the least, and encourage you to do the same, if you'd like.
The term "Heinz 57", which appears on many Heinz products to this day, is often used to describe a diverse and/or large group of varying items. For example, you could say, "The buffet at Sally's party was a real Heinz 57 of dishes", or, "My wardrobe is so eclectic, it's a Heinz 57 of styles", and folks would instantly understand that you were describing a mixed bag of items, people, situations or what have you.
The origins of this expression lie in a slogan that the famous food manufacturing company used in it early days: "Heinz 57 Varieties of Pure Food Products".
Company legend has it that "57" was chosen because the numbers five and seven were of particular significance to Henry John Heinz, founder of the brand. While the company was actually manufacturing more than 60 different products at the time, Heinz like the ring that 57 had to it and opted to use that number as part of his company?s marketing campaign and branding.
{Vintage Heinz 57 advertising publication, from 1909, via Wikipedia.}
Heinz products have been on shelves for over a hundred years now and their logo is one of the most recognizable in the world. As such, I started wondering one day, just what were some of the products that made up the yesteryear list of 57 Heinz varieties?
If we hop back in time to the 1930s, the following is a list of 57 products that Heinz produced. Many are long gone (despite the more than 5,7000 items the company now produces worldwide), but other classics - like pork and beans, dill pickles, cider vinegar, chilli sauce, and ketchup are still going strong.
57 Heinz products from the 1930s
1. Heinz Oven-Baked Beans with Pork and Tomato Sauce
2. Heinz Oven-Baked Beans without Tomato Sauce, with Pork--Boston Style
3. Heinz Oven-baked Beans in Tomato Sauce without Meat?Vegetarian
4. Heinz Oven-Baked Red Kidney Beans
5. Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup
6. Heinz Cream of Green Pea Soup
7. Heinz Cream of Celery Soup
8. Heinz Mince Meat
9. Heinz Plum Pudding
10. Heinz Fig Pudding
11. Heinz Peanut Butter
12. Missing from list
13. Heinz Cooked Sour Kraut with Pork
14. Heinz Cherry Preserves
15. Heinz Red Raspberry Preserves
16. Heinz Peach Preserves
17. Heinz Strawberry Preserves
18. Heinz Pineapple Preserves
19. Heinz Crab-apple Jelly
20. Heinz Currant Jelly
21. Heinz Grape Jelly
22. Heinz Quince Jelly
23. Heinz Apple Butter
24. Heinz Preserved Sweet Gherkins
25. Heinz Preserved Sweet Mixed Pickles
26. Heinz Sour Spiced Gherkins
27. Heinz Sour Mixed Pickles
28. Heinz Chow Chow Pickle
29. Heinz Sweet Mustard Pickle
30. Heinz Dill Pickles
31. Heinz Fresh Cucumber Pickle
32. Heinz Fresh Cucumber Relish
33. Heinz India Relish 34. Heinz Sandwich Relish
35. Heinz Soup Pickled Onions
36. Heinz Preserved Sweet Onions
37. Heinz Spanish Queen Olives
38. Heinz Stuffed Spanish Olives
39. Heinz Ripe Olives
40. Heinz Pure Spanish Olive Oil
41. Heinz Tomato Ketchup
42. Heinz Chili Sauce
43. Heinz Beefsteak Sauce
44. Heinz Pepper Sauce, Red and Green
45. Heinz Worcestershire Sauce
46. Heinz Prepared Mustard
47. Heinz Prepared Mustard Sauce
48. Heinz Evaporated Horseradish
49. Heinz Salad Cream
50. Heinz Mayonnaise Salad Dressing
51. Heinz Pure Malt Vinegar 52. Heinz Pure Cider Vinegar
53. Heinz Distilled White Vinegar 54. Heinz Tarragon Vinegar
55. Heinz Rice Flakes
56. Heinz Breakfast Wheat
57. Heinz Tomato Juice"
(Take from from the Heinz Book of Salads, 1930. Online version of list from the Food Timeline.)
The etymology of words and phrases has always fascinated me. I love finding out where folklore ends and the truth begins (or vice versa!). It's lovely to know that Heinz really did have 57 products to back up their slogan back in the early decades of the twenty-first century - and can't help but wish they still manufactured a few of these (how delicious do Quince Jelly and Pineapple Preserves sound?).
Whether you consider yourself a Heinz 57 of different nationalities, are a "purebred pup" like my 100% Italian husband, or fall somewhere in between, chances are you've heard of the expression "Heinz 57" before.
Now, as beloved radio broadcaster Paul Harvey would have said, you know the rest of the story behind this classic expression and the brand that spawned its usage.
I, for one, am off to go find some quince jelly! 
Source: http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2011/08/there-really-were-57-varieties-of-heinz.html
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