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Durkee's Famous Sauce

You may or may not have ever enjoyed Durkee's Famous Sauce, but founded in 1857, Eugene Durkee's company was once famous for its marinades and food products.

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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

The company even claimed that the sauce was so popular that it was served in the Lincoln White House! However, the claim was not backed up by any hard evidence.
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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

Regardless of whether, it graced the Lincoln bedroom or not, the Durkee sauce went on to win numerous awards and was one of the premier condiment brands of its time.
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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

In 1906, the government even asked E.W. Durkee (the founder's son) to help write the federal standards for spices and extracts.
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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

By 1917, demand for Durkee's was high enough that the company opened up a plant in Elmhurst, Queens to supplement the production of their pre-existing Brooklyn plant.
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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

The factory was making so much Durkee's that not only did they have a full garage complex, but also a railroad siding that allowed direct rail shipping across the United States.
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E. R. Durkee & Company
E. R. Durkee & Company icon

E. R. Durkee & Company

Durkee's Foods was eventually absorbed by Glidden in the 1980s, but its famous sauce is still available to anyone who wants it (albeit made in Iowa.)
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