Historical Figures

How did the long john get its name?

There are no references or documented evidence to support that Long John got its name from the popular food. Long John dates all the way back to 1704 when it first appeared in Thomas Brown’s Amusements Serious and Comical, where he writes, "We can find one that knows to draw an eel into his mouth, or a long john out of his nose, or a gudgeon into's ear, or a loach out of his neck."