How Potato Chips Were Invented

Americans are the No. 1 consumers of potato chips.

Potato chips are crispy, thinly sliced spuds that are baked or deep fried until crunchy. They were a humble invention in 1853 but became part of a multi-billion dollar industry.

History

Potato chips are a thin-sliced, crisper version of French fries, the popular dish made from thick-sliced potatoes. French ambassador Thomas Jefferson cooked and served French fries at Monticello dinner parties, which led to their popularity in America.

Invention

According to the Lemelson-MIT Program, George Crum, an American Indian/African American chef, was cooking French fries at a Saratoga Springs, New York resort in 1853, when a disgruntled customer complained they were too thick and soggy. Crum sliced the potatoes as thin as possible to make them hard to eat with a fork. The customer loved them and they became a staple known as Saratoga Chips.

Popularity

Crum opened his own restaurant in 1860 and featured table-side baskets of potato chips. In 1895 William Tappendon began selling chips to grocery stores. In 1926, Laura Scudder became the first person to sell chips in wax paper bags. Herman Lay made the first national brand in 1932.

References

• Lemelson-MIT-Program: Potato Chip
• Kitchen Project: The History of the Potato Chip