The Chips: An Oral History
Alright, snack aficionados and crispy treat connoisseurs… get ready for the crispy, crunchy, salty saga of the potato chip—a tale so rich and full of twists that it could only be described as the ultimate snack-time soap opera. This isn't just history; it's an edible epic that spans centuries and continents. So, buckle up, grab your favorite bag of chips (for research, obviously), and let's crunch our way through the dramatic history behind everyone’s favorite munchie.
The first EVER potato chip can be traced back to 1853 in Saratoga Lake, New York. Its inventor, George Crum wasn't just any chef—people could tell he had a gift as he spent his time working at the Moon Lake Resort in Saratoga. And little did he know, but his greatest creation was yet to come, thanks to a customer with a chip on his shoulder (pun totally intended).
Legend has it that on that fateful day, a particularly finicky customer (some say it was big-shot Cornelius Vanderbilt, but hey, who's keeping track?) waltzed into George's restaurant, and ordered a plate of French-fried potatoes.
He was like the Goldilocks of chips.
But not just any French fries would do for this discerning diner. No, they were too thick, too soggy, too potatoey. He was like the Goldilocks of chips. And back they went, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES, to the kitchen.
George decided to teach him a lesson. He sliced those potatoes as thin as humanly possible and fried ‘em up in oil and sent out the original potato chip instead. And to everyone’s surprise, the diner was over the moon, and just like that, the potato chip was born.
From these humble, salty beginnings, the potato chip began its conquest of the culinary world. It was the snack that launched a thousand ships (or at least thousands of snack aisles). But the road to global domination was not a straight line… it was more like the zigzag of your favorite crinkle cut chips ;-).
Fast forward to the 20th century! The potato chip finds itself in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. While they used to be stored in cracker barrels or displays and served in paper bags to customers, in 1926 Laura Scudder realized you could seal wax paper bags and invented the chip bag. S/O to Laura for maximum freshness!!
Machines then came along that could peel, slice, fry, and even package chips, catapulting our beloved snack from small batch kitchens to the homes and hearts of the masses. In 1954, an Irish potato chip company led by Joseph “Spud” Murphy (what a name) asked his employees to try to find a way to add flavor to the chips, leading to the creation of the cheese and onion flavor and quickly spreading chip flavor worldwide. Brands like Lay's, Utz, and Herr's began popping up, each with its own secret recipe and mascot, turning the humble potato chip into a cultural icon.
A simple pleasure born out of a slice of potato, a bath in hot oil, and a sprinkle of salt.
Through it all, the potato chip has remained true to its roots, a simple pleasure born out of a slice of potato, a bath in hot oil, and a sprinkle of salt. It's a reminder that sometimes, the best things in life are the simplest... and the oiliest.
So here we are, still celebrating the crispy, crunchy glory of the potato chip. And making our own mark on chip history with our first ever Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chips, made by slow frying the best Galician potatoes in extra virgin olive oil and finishing them off with flaky salt from 6,000 year old Añana salt flats.
But frying in olive oil isn’t just about being fancy or health-conscious; it’s about FLAVOR! And our secret is all in slow frying, so those potato have alllllll the time they needs to absorb maximum olive oily flavor.
And so, dear friends, as we reach the end of our salty saga, the journey of a simple spud to worldwide snacking fun, let us raise a chip in honor of George Crum, the accidental genius behind the ultimate snack that has captured our taste buds (and our hearts).
Here's to many more years of crunching, munching, and, of course, if ya haven’t tried an OLIVE OIL POTATO CHIP yet, what are you waiting for??!