HADDONFIELD, N.J. – Whether you like it or not, a 92-year-old woman from New Jersey who passed away recently is to thank for the iconic American holiday dish, green bean casserole.
CBS News reports that Dorcas Reily, who invented the recipe that has been used be Campbell Soup for decades, dies of Alzheimer’s disease on October 15.
Campbell Soup Co. said that Reily was the main contributor to the dish that is enjoyed by millions around the country and world, and will be on many tables across the United States when Thanksgiving comes almost a month from now.
The original recipe card was donated to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002, according to CBS News.
So how did Riely come to make the famous recipe?
Reily was the Campbell Soup kitchen supervisor in 1955 when she made the special dish that was later part of an Associated Press feature story.
While Reily never said she was not the one to create it, her recollection of doing so was slim though, because her now-famous green bean casserole dish at the time was just one of many she made.
Reily would retire from Campbell Soup in 1988 as the company’s kitchen manager.
According to CBS News, Campbell’s officials have said consumers often tell them practically anyone an make a green bean casserole because it’s so easy to prepare. Reily is survived by her husband of 59 years, Thomas, and a son and daughter.
