Today’s #throwbackthursday article is something that we can all collectively agree is the best invention in the history of munchies. On 24th August 1853, the world wide popular snack food, potato chips were invented by George Crum. Potato Chips have globally dominated thousands of taste buds and are continuing to do so!
Potato chips were first originated in New England as a variation for potatoes that were generally used for french fries. Their creation was the outcome, not of a sudden stroke of culinary development but of an attack of provoking.
In the mid-year of 1853, Native American George Crum was working as a cook at an exquisite restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. Thick-cut French style fries, which were promoted in France in the 1700s were appreciated by Thomas Jefferson, the American founding father. When Jefferson conveyed the formula to America and served french fries to visitors at Monticello, the dish became well known and a genuine supper.
During that time, at Moon Lake Lodge, where George Crum was a cook, a customer found gourmet expert Crum’s french fries too thick for his choice and rejected the food. Then, Crum cut and broiled a more slender bunch, however, those were also met with objection. Exasperated, Crum chose to disturb the visitor by creating french fries so thin and fresh that the visitor couldn’t even pick them up with his fork. He picked them up with his hands and tasted the first ever potato chip. The visitor was overjoyed over the paper-thin potatoes. Different coffee shops started asking for Crum’s potato chips, which then started to show up on the menu as Saratoga Chips.
In 1860, George opened his own eatery on Malta Avenue close to Saratoga Lake. And within a couple of years, he was serving many esteemed customers including American businessmen William Vanderbilt and Cornelius Vanderbilt. He never tried to patent his invention patented or expand his business. In 1890, after serving his famous delicacies for years, he closed his restaurant. He died in 1914 at the age of 92.
Today, we have this amazing snack available to us in hundreds of different flavors. It takes approximately 10,000 pounds of potatoes to make 2,500 pounds of potato chips. An average American eats over 4 pounds of potato chips each year. In 2011, Americans consumed a total of about 1.5 billion pounds of potato chips. Isn’t it amazing how anything as simple as this can take over the world?
I asked one of my roommates the reason for her everyday craving for potato chips. Bhumika, a 3rd-year student at LPU reviled “Having something to eat while studying, talking, and working that doesn’t mess up my hands or anything around me is great. It’s light and easily available! I try to buy baked potato chips more often so I can stay healthy. Potato chips come in lots of flavors and everyone loves it.”
