One word for potato chips

These are potatoes cut into pieces about the width of a finger, and deep fried in lard, beef dripping, or some other fat with similar cooking properties, until the middle is cooked.

In Britain, they are known as «chips».

In the USA they are sometimes known as «chips» (when served as part of «fish and chips»), but they are more frequently called «French fries» — although an American might well complain that these French fries weren’t crispy enough.

These are potatoes cut into narrower pieces, and deep fried in vegetable oil, with the aim of getting a crispy outside.

In Britain they are known as «French fries» on packaging and restaurant menus. Many British people would still call them chips.

In the USA they are known as French fries, or just «fries».

These are potatoes sliced very thinly, and fried until they are rigid and crispy.

In the UK they are known as «crisps». In Britain, if you asked for «chips» and received crisps, you’d be surprised.

In the US they are known as «potato chips» or sometimes just «chips».

These are an arbitrary pre-packaged snack that are not made from potato. Although these ones are corn puffs with spicy flavouring, the picture is meant to represent the whole range of crunchy savoury snacks that come in bags.

In the UK, although the packaging will never say «crisps», a person might casually refer to them as «crisps» anyway — knowing it’s not strictly accurate, but not caring.

I think an American might similarly refer to them as «chips». Perhaps an American can comment and confirm?

For the thicker batons of potato known as «chips» in the UK, see French fries.

Potato chip

Alternative names	Crisps (British and Irish English)
Course	Snack, side dish
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Serving temperature	Room temperature
Media: Potato chip

A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appetizer. The basic chips are cooked and salted; additional varieties are manufactured using various flavorings and ingredients including herbs, spices, cheeses, other natural flavors, artificial flavors, and additives.

Potato chips form a large part of the snack food and convenience food market in Western countries. The global potato chip market generated total revenue of US$16.49 billion in 2005. This accounted for 35.5% of the total savory snacks market in that year ($46.1 billion).^[1]

History

The earliest known recipe for something similar to today’s potato chips is in William Kitchiner’s book The Cook’s Oracle published in 1817, which was a bestseller in the United Kingdom and the United States.^[2] The 1822 edition’s recipe for «Potatoes fried in Slices or Shavings» reads «peel large potatoes… cut them in shavings round and round, as you would peel a lemon; dry them well in a clean cloth, and fry them in lard or dripping».^[3][4] An 1825 British book about French cookery calls them «Pommes de Terre frites» (second recipe) and calls for thin slices of potato fried in «clarified butter or goose dripping», drained and sprinkled with salt.^[5] Early recipes for potato chips in the US are found in Mary Randolph’s Virginia House-Wife (1824)^[6] and in N.K.M. Lee’s Cook’s Own Book (1832),^[7] both of which explicitly cite Kitchiner.^[8]

A legend associates the creation of potato chips with Saratoga Springs, New York, decades later than the first recorded recipe.^[9] By the late nineteenth century, a popular version of the story attributed the dish to George Crum, a cook^[10][11] at Moon’s Lake House who was trying to appease an unhappy customer on August 24, 1853.^[12] The customer kept sending back his French-fried potatoes, complaining that they were too thick,^[13] too «soggy», or not salted enough. Frustrated, Crum sliced several potatoes extremely thin, fried them to a crisp, and seasoned them with extra salt. To his surprise, the customer loved them. They soon came to be called «Saratoga Chips»,^[14] a name that persisted into the mid-twentieth century. A version of this story was popularized in a 1973 national advertising campaign by St. Regis Paper Company which manufactured packaging for chips, claiming that Crum’s customer was Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[10] Crum was already renowned as a chef at the time, and he owned a lakeside restaurant by 1860 which he called Crum’s House.^[10] The «Saratoga Chips» brand name still exists today.

Production

In the 20th century, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass-produced for home consumption. The Dayton, Ohio-based Mikesell’s Potato Chip Company, founded in 1910, identifies as the «oldest potato chip company in the United States».^[15][16][17] New Hampshire-based Granite State Potato Chip Factory, founded in 1905 and in operation until 2007, was one of America’s first potato chip manufacturers.^[18][19][20]

Flavoring

In an idea originated by the Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd, formed in 1920, Frank Smith packaged a twist of salt with his chips in greaseproof paper bags, which were sold around London.^[21] The potato chip remained otherwise unseasoned until an important scientific development in the 1950s. After English biochemists Archer Martin and Richard Synge received a Nobel Prize for inventing partition chromatography in 1952, food scientists began to develop flavors via a gas chromatograph.^[22] After some trial and error, in 1954, Joe «Spud» Murphy, the owner of the Irish crisps company Tayto, and his employee Seamus Burke, produced the world’s first seasoned chips: cheese & onion.^[2][23] Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto’s technique.^[24] Walkers of Leicester, England produced cheese & onion the same year.^[25] Golden Wonder (Smith’s main competitor at the time) also started to produce cheese & onion, and Smith’s countered with salt & vinegar (tested first by their north-east England subsidiary Tudor and then launched nationally in 1967), starting a two-decade-long flavor war.^[26][27]

The first flavored chips in the United States, barbecue flavor, were being manufactured and sold by 1954.^[28][29][30] In 1958, Herr’s was the first company to introduce barbecue-flavored potato chips in Pennsylvania.^[31]

Packaging

Chips sold in markets were usually sold in tins or scooped out of storefront glass bins and delivered by horse and wagon. Early potato chip bags were wax paper with the ends ironed or stapled together. At first, potato chips were packaged in barrels or tins, which left chips at the bottom stale and crumbled.

In the 1920s, Laura Scudder,^[32][33][34] an entrepreneur in Monterey Park, California, started having her workers take home sheets of wax paper to iron into the form of bags, which were filled with chips at her factory the next day. This pioneering method reduced crumbling and kept the chips fresh and crisp longer. This innovation, along with the invention of cellophane, allowed potato chips to become a mass-market product. Today, chips are packaged in plastic bags, with nitrogen gas blown in prior to sealing to lengthen shelf life, and provide protection against crushing.^{[35][36][37][38]}

Kettle-cooked chips

«Kettle chips» redirects here. For the brand, see Kettle Foods.

Chips were long made in a batch process, where the potato slices are rinsed with cold water to release starch,^[39] fried at a low temperature of 300 °F (150 °C),^[40] and continuously raked to prevent them from sticking together.

Industrial advances resulted in a shift to production by a continuous process, running the chips through a vat of hot oil and drying them in a conveyor process.

Some small producers continued to use a batch process, notably in Maui.^[41] In 1980, inspired by the Maui Chip, an entrepreneur started Cape Cod Potato Chips to produce thicker, batch-cooked «Hawaiian style» potato chips, which came to be known as kettle-style (US) or hand-cooked (UK) chips and became a premium, «gourmet» item.^[42] Kettle chips are thicker and the surface starch is not rinsed off, resulting in a style of chip called «hard-bite».^[43]

Nomenclature

Little consistency exists in the English-speaking world for the name of this food. North American English uses «chips», though Canadians may also call French fries, especially thick ones, «chips» as well. «Crisps» may be used for thin fried slices made from potato paste.^[44] An example of this type of snack is Pringles, which chooses to market their product as «potato crisps» even in the United States.^[44]

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, «crisps» are potato chips which are eaten at room temperature, whilst «chips» are similar to french fries (as in «fish and chips») and are served hot.^[45] In Australia, some parts of South Africa, New Zealand, India, and the West Indies, especially in Barbados, both forms of potato product are simply known as «chips», as are the larger «home-style» variety. In the north of New Zealand, they are sometimes affectionately known as «chippies»; however, they are marketed as «chips» throughout the country. In Australia and New Zealand, a distinction is sometimes made between «hot chips» (fried potatoes) and «chips» or «potato chips». In Bangladesh, they are generally known as «chip» or «chips», and much less frequently as «crisps» (pronounced «kirisp») and locally, alu bhaja (for their similarity to the fried potato dish, bhajji).

In German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany: «Kartoffelchips«, often shortened to «Chips»; Switzerland: «Pommes Chips«) and in countries of the former Yugoslavia, fried thin potato slices are known as «chips» (locally pronounced very similarly to the English pronunciation), with a clear distinction from French fries. In Brazil, «home-style» potato chips are known as batatas portuguesas («Portuguese potatoes») if their sides are relatively smooth and batatas prussianas («Prussian potatoes») if their sides show a wafer biscuit-like pattern, whilst American-like industrial uniform potato chips made from a fried potato purée-based dough are known as «batata chips» («potato chips»), or just «chips».^{[citation needed]}

Health concerns

Most potato chips contain high levels of sodium, from salt. This has been linked to health issues such as high blood pressure.^[46] However, researchers at Queen Mary University of London in 2004 have noted that a small «bag of ready-salted crisps» contains less salt than a serving of many breakfast cereals, including «every brand of cornflakes on sale in the UK.»^[47]

Some potato chip companies have responded to the long-standing concerns by investing in research and development to modify existing recipes and create health-conscious products. PepsiCo research shows that about 80% of salt on chips is not sensed by the tongue before being swallowed. Frito-Lay spent $414 million in 2009 on product development, including development of salt crystals that would reduce the salt content of Lay’s potato chips without adversely affecting flavor.^[48]

Unsalted chips are available, e.g. the longstanding British brand Salt ‘n’ Shake, whose chips are not seasoned, but instead include a small salt sachet in the bag for seasoning to taste. Many other popular brands in the United States, such as Frito-Lay, also offer such a product.

One health scare related to potato chips focused on acrylamide, which is produced when potatoes are fried or baked at high temperatures. This discovery in 2002 led to international health concerns. Subsequent research has however found that it is not likely that the acrylamides in burnt or well-cooked food cause cancer in humans; Cancer Research UK categorizes the idea that burnt food causes cancer as a «myth».^[49]

In August 2008, California Attorney General Jerry Brown announced a settlement with Frito-Lay, Kettle Foods, and Lance Inc., the makers of Cape Cod Potato Chips, for violating the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. The state had alleged in 2005 that potato chips from these companies failed to document that they contained high levels of acrylamide, which is listed by California since the 1990s as a carcinogen. These companies paid fines and agreed to reduce acrylamide levels to be under 275 parts per billion.^[50][51] Many potato chip manufacturers attempt to remove burned and thus potentially acrylamide-rich chips before the packaging process. Large scanners are used to eliminate chips worst affected by heat.^[52]

Regional varieties

Americas

In the United States, major regional brands include Jays, Better Made, Old Dutch, Utz and Zapp’s.

In Canada, regional varieties include all-dressed, dill pickle, and ketchup.^[53] Ketchup chips are flavoured with tomato, garlic and onions.^[54]

In Colombia, lemon, chicken, chorizo, and sirloin steak with mushroom sauce flavored potato chips are sold.^[55]

Europe

In the United Kingdom, Walkers makes crisps with popular flavours as Prawn Cocktail, Beef and Onion, Roast Chicken, Smoky Bacon, Worcester Sauce, Pickled Onion, and Tomato Ketchup,^[56][57] and exotic flavors Thai sweet chili, roast pork and creamy mustard sauce, chicken with Italian herbs, Spicy Sriracha, BBQ Pulled Pork, sea salt and cider vinegar, spicy and aromatic curry, turkey and bacon, caramelized onion and sweet balsamic vinegar, Stilton and cranberry.^[57] In Ireland, the word «Tayto» is synonymous with potato chips after the Tayto brand, and can be used to describe all varieties of chips, including those not produced by Tayto.^[58] Hunky Dorys and King are other popular Irish brands.

In Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, only two flavors were traditionally available, red paprika (Paprika, sometimes also called ungarisch (from «Hungarian»)) and salted (gesalzen). These are still by far the most common and popular types, but some vendors have started flavors such as sour cream and onion, cheese, oriental, or more exotic seasonings like «Chakalaka», «Currywurst», «Pommes» (french fries), «Rot-weiss» (red and white: french fries with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise).

In Russia, the Russkaya Kartoshka brand of chips claim reduced content of oil in their curled (C-shaped, nearly ball-shaped) chips, and offers flavors^[59] like grilled salmon, shrimp and «Kamchatka’s crab», that are unique seafood-themed flavors of potato chips mass-produced in Russia. Lay’s offers crab-flavored and no-cream green onion flavored chips as ones made uniquely for Russian market. Lay’s «Iz pechi» (literally «from the stove») line of less-oiled chips also include crab flavor. «Just Brutal» brand has pitch-black chips,^[60] where the flavors are «vinegar» and «Thai sweet pepper».

Asia

In Japan, flavors include norishio (nori and salt), consommé, wasabi, soy sauce and butter, garlic, plum, barbecue, pizza, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Chili, scallop with butter, teriyaki, takoyaki, and yakitori chip flavors are also available. Major manufacturers include Calbee^[61] and Koikeya.^[62] In Hong Kong, the two prominent potato chips are the spicy «Ethnican» variety by Calbee,^[63] and barbecue by Jack ‘n Jill.

In Indonesia, potato chips are commonly called kripik kentang and traditionally fell under the kripik category. The major brands are Indofood’s Chitato (since 1990s)^[64] and Lay’s (Frito-Lay). In 2014, Japan’s Calbee and Indonesia’s Wings Food formed Calbeewings, a joint venture and marketed Potabee potato chips offering two flavors: beef BBQ and grilled seaweed.^[65] Lay’s potato chips sold in Indonesia are available in six flavors: honey butter, sour cream and onion, nori seaweed, beef barbecue, classic salty, and salmon teriyaki flavors.^[66] In 2018 Chitato launched three unusual flavors: beef rendang, fried crab golden egg yolk, and mango sticky rice.^[67]

Similar foods

Another food made from potatoes, notably the Pringles and Lay’s Stax brands, is made by extruding or pressing a dough made from dehydrated potato flour into the desired shape before frying. This makes a product that is uniform in size and shape, which allows them to be stacked and packaged in rigid cardboard or plastic canisters. Pringles are officially branded as «potato crisps» in the US. Pringles may be termed «potato chips» in Britain, to distinguish them from traditional «crisps», but do not meet the definition or standard of identity for potato chips. Munchos, another brand that uses the term «potato crisps», has deep air pockets in its chips that give it a curved shape, though the chips themselves resemble regular bagged chips.

An additional product similar to potato chips exists in the form of «potato sticks», also called «shoestring potatoes». These are made as extremely thin (2 to 3 mm) versions of the popular French fry but are fried in the manner of regular salted potato chips. A hickory-smoke-flavored version is popular in Canada, going by the vending machine name «Hickory Sticks». Potato sticks are typically packaged in rigid containers, although some manufacturers use flexible pouches, similar to potato chip bags. Potato sticks were originally packed in hermetically sealed steel cans. In the 1960s, manufacturers switched to the less expensive composite canister (similar to the Pringles container). Reckitt Benckiser was a market leader in this category^{[citation needed]} under the Durkee Potato Stix and French’s Potato Sticks names but exited the business in 2008. In 2014, French’s reentered the market. A larger variant (about 1 cm thick) made with dehydrated potatoes is marketed as Andy Capp’s Pub Fries, using the theme of a long-running British comic strip, which are baked and sold in a variety of flavors. Walkers make a similar product (using the Smiths brand) called «Chipsticks» which are sold in ready-salted and salt and vinegar flavors.

Some companies have also marketed baked potato chips as an alternative with lower fat content. Additionally, some varieties of fat-free chips have been made using artificial, and indigestible, fat substitutes. These became well known in the media when an ingredient many contained, Olestra, was linked in some individuals to abdominal discomfort and loose stools.^[68]

Many other products might be called «crisps» in Britain, but would not be classed as «potato chips» because they are not made with potato or are not chipped (for example, Wotsits, Quavers, Skips, Hula Hoops, and Monster Munch).

Sweet potato chips are eaten in Korea, New Zealand, and Japan; parsnip, beetroot, and carrot crisps are available in the United Kingdom. India is famous^{[citation needed]} for a large number of localized ‘chips shops’, selling not only potato chips, but also other varieties such as plantain chips, tapioca chips, yam chips, and even carrot chips. Plantain chips, also known as chifles or tostones, are also sold in the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Chile. In the Philippines, banana chips can be found sold at local stores. In Kenya, chips are made from arrowroot and cassava. In the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and Australia, a new variety of Pringles made from rice has been released and marketed as lower in fat than its potato counterparts.^[69]

See also

• Chips and dip
• List of deep fried foods
• List of potato dishes
• Papadum
• Vegetable chips

References

Further reading

• Banham, Rayner (1977) «The Crisp at the Crossroads», in P. Barker (ed) Arts in Society. London: Fontana.
• Jones, Charlotte Foltz (1991). Mistakes That Worked. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-26246-0.: Origins of potato chips.
• Burhans, Dirk E. (2008). Crunch!: a history of the great American potato chip. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 9780299227708.

External links

• #1

Hi, I’m looking for a general term for snack foods that are made by frying carbohydrates such as potato, corn, beans and therefore have a crisp texture. Examples of these foods are potato chips and popcorn, but not all of these foods are bad for health.

Unfortunately, some individual or company in 19xx started calling these snack foods just «sunakku» (=snack) here in Japan, and this sunakku has been used widely ever since and often appears in a document I need to translate into English. I can’t just use the English word snack because it basically means anything you eat between meals. What term would you sugget I use for Japan’s snakku?

Thanks

• #2

The term that comes to mind is «junk food.»
Here is the definition from the WR dictionary:

food that is low in nutritional value, often highly processed or ready-prepared, and eaten instead of or in addition to well-balanced meals

• #4

@mr cat: On the page you provide a link to, I read «Crisps, Savoury Snacks and Nuts.»
This wording leads me to believe that crisps (potato chips) would not be considered a «savoury snack.»
Is this correct? Or are crisps just one example of a «savoury snack»?

• #5

Is this correct? Or are crisps just one example of a «savoury snack»?

It’s not something that’s kept me awake at night but I think you could put them all under the same term. I’m guessing that ‘savoury snacks’ came about as a term to describe the plethora of things that aren’t nuts or crisps, but essentially I think they are the same thing. (Now watch a food historian appear and put me right!)

• #6

Hi, I’m looking for a general term for snack foods that are made by frying carbohydrates such as potato, corn, beans and therefore have a crisp texture.

I think you have almost provided your own answer: such things are known as «snacking food» but this also includes nuts, seeds, raisins, dried fruit, etc. They are usually sold in packets sufficient for one person.

If they look like a crisp (AE = a potato chip) then they would be called crisps or, if not, their trade name would be used.

• #7

I’d just call snacks «snacks.»

Note that popcorn does not fit your definition of «fried» and «crisp.»

• #8

I think «junk food» includes foods like hamburgers and french fries from fast-food restaurants, so it’s not the same as our sunakku. Sunakku are not eaten with, or as part of, a meal. Dictionaries say the English word «snack» is a small portion of food or drink eaten between regular meals (taken from the WR dictionary), so even ice cream can be a snack in my opinion. As for popcorn, I was wrong. It’s not fried (it’s roasted) and not crisp either, but it’s definitely sunakku. I don’t know how to accurately describe sunakku, but biscuits/cookies and dried nuts aren’t quite sunakku (because they aren’t junky like potato chips and popcorn).

«Savory snacks» and «snacking food» in BE are probably the closest to sunakku (thank you mr cat and Paul for these!). I wonder what the U.S. versions of these terms are.

• #9

Nuts, seeds, potato chips, popcorn, raisins, etc. are all snacks.

Potato chips and popcorn are also junk food, because they have little or no nutritional value.

• #10

How would «crispy snack foods» work in your context? Or, «crunchy snack foods.»

• #11

Nuts, seeds, potato chips, popcorn, raisins, etc. are all snacks.

Potato chips and popcorn are also junk food, because they have little or no nutritional value.

That’s my understanding since I said, «I can’t just use the English word snack because it basically means anything you eat between meals» and «I think junk food includes foods like hamburgers and french fries.»

How would «crispy snack foods» work in your context? Or, «crunchy snack foods.»

Thank you, MuttQuad. I think «crunchy snack foods» would work well since crunchy can cover the textures of both chips and popcorn, and is not quite the texture of nuts, seeds, raisins, or dried fruit, if I’m not mistaken.

• #12

I can’t just use the English word snack because it basically means anything you eat between meals» and «I think junk food includes foods like hamburgers and french fries.

Your own definition of «sunakku» would seem to include french fries: «snack foods that are made by frying carbohydrates such as potato…»
I’m not sure I’d call hamburgers, especially those prepared at home with good quality meat (as opposed to hamburgers from fast-food restaurants), junk food.

I think «crunchy snack foods» would work well since crunchy can cover the textures of both chips and popcorn, and is not quite the texture of nuts, seeds, raisins, or dried fruit, if I’m not mistaken.

This is what I was initially going to propose in post #2 until I realized that a carrot qualifies as a «crunchy snack» but does not qualify, by your definition, as «sunakku.»

• #13

Thank you, LH. I also wouldn’t call quality hamburgers junk food (and that’s why I added «from fast-food restaurants» in post #8 ).

I never thought about carrot (raw carrot, correct?), so thanks for pointing it out. But, come to think of it, only a tiny percentage (probably less than 1%) of people eat raw carrot or any other crunchy/crispy raw vegetables between meals here in Japan, so I think I can safely use crunchy snack foods for sunakku.

French fries may be disputable since they are indeed crunchy, but only for the first 10 minutes or so after being served. There are very crispy french fries sold in sealed plastic bags (just like potato chips) here in Japan (and maybe in your country too), and they are definitely sunakku.

• #14

Potato chips and popcorn are also junk food, because they have little or no nutritional value.

I question popcorn being labeled a junk food. Here are some nutrition facts from the Popcorn Board.

In any case, I don’t see «junk food» as being a good label, even if it applied only to snacks. It’s a judgmental label, and I think a neutral label is best here.

I agree with sdgraham – we call them snacks.

• #15

@sdgraham & Copyright:
So, am I right in thinking that you (or any other AE speakers) don’t call hot dogs, slices of pizza, sandwiches, candy, etc. eaten between the three meals snacks?

• #16

@sdgraham & Copyright:
So, am I right in thinking that you (or any other AE speakers) don’t call hot dogs, slices of pizza, sandwiches, candy, etc. eaten between the three meals snacks?

A lot depends on context – so I think you can use snacks for your purpose. If the items you mentioned were on a list and I was asked for a general name for each of them, I would not choose «snack» for any of them.

But others might consider half a sandwich and a glass of milk – or an apple or a banana – between meals a snack, and I would find it difficult to disagree. I don’t think you’re going to find a perfect word, so I would like to again push «snack» in your direction.

I also wouldn’t get too hung up on savory, but that’s me.

• #17

Thanks, Copyright. That means I can use just snacks when the context tells or suggests they are crunchy, savory snacks, doesn’t it? That’s good to know!

Then I wonder…..if someone in the U.S./U.K. invited me to his/her house and asked me, «Would you like some snacks?,» should I expect to be served stuff like chips and popcorn because the question would be «Would you like some sandwitches?» if he/she wanted to offer sandwiches and «Would you like some candy (BE: sweets)?» if chocolates, etc.?

• #18

If you were at someone’s house in the U.S. and they asked you if you would like a snack (Would you like a snack?),
I wouldn’t expect to be served a certain specific food. The snacks you will be offered will vary greatly depending on
the personal eating habits of the people offering the snacks.
Some people snack on potato chips, others might have yogurt or fruit as a snack. The possibilities are endless.

• #19

Thanks, LH. That’s good to know.

>Would you like a snack?
Ah…that’s right. One snack per snack time no matter how many snack foods are served during the period.