We know that macaroni and cheese became popular in America because of Thomas Jefferson, but you might not know that Kraft got a real break on their boxed macaroni and cheese during World War II rationing. I would suspect the dish's popularity got another break when the government made surplus milk into processed commodity cheese and gave that away for a while. But it's not only the United States government that worked to promote certain foods among Americans. The dish we call Pad Thai is not an ancient recipe; it was created by the Thai government, right about the time it became the Thai government instead of the Siamese government.
You surely want to know about those stories, and you'll find the full versions, plus the government interference that boosted the popularity of risotto and Chinese restaurant food, at Cracked. Not that we really mind, because all those things are delicious.
(Image credit: Andy Li)