Thin potato slices fried crisp in oil date from the early 19th century, when they are said to have been invented by chef George Speck in Saratoga Springs, New York. Chips, as they came to be called, were first produced commercially either in Massachusetts in 1908 or Ohio in 1910. Flavorings were added for the first time — cheese & onion and salt & vinegar — by an Irish company, Tayto, in the 1950s, and America got into the act with chips made with barbecue-sauce flavorings later in the same decade.
After that, all bets were off. American companies started selling chips flavored with various combinations of chile powder and other spices, citrus, sour cream, pickle juice, assorted cheeses, ranch dressing, and more. British manufacturers went crazy, producing variations whose flavorings were meant to simulate the tastes of prawn cocktail, oysters, roast chicken, roast beef, roast ham with cranberries, roast lamb with mint, sausage and mustard, even haggis. Japan put its own twist on chips, with examples that evoked the flavors of nori seaweed, pickled plums, fish roe, and (why not?) Pepsi Cola.
The craze for flavoring extended beyond potato chips to tortilla chips (like Doritos), the unique little corn chips called Fritos, and various other crispy snacks — including the faux-potato chips called Pringles, made with extruded potato flour. These are 25 “junk foods” that are actually not so bad for you.
Food companies are constantly developing new products, of course, and that includes new flavored chips and suchlike. Often these are limited editions or sold only in certain markets. Sometimes, though, they’re launched nationwide and just don’t fly off the shelves, so get discontinued — sometimes just as we’re starting to develop a taste for them. Chips, after all, are among the 40 popular discontinued snack foods we miss the most.
Click here for discontinued chip flavors that should come back
24/7 Tempo has assembled a list of 20 potato chips and snack chips of a few other kinds that were introduced but then faded from sight. They’re some of the ones we miss the most — chips with forthright and sometimes unusual flavors that deserve another chance. We consulted a number of online lists, including those published by ChipReview, Taquitos.Net, Insider, and METV, as well as corporate sites for various chip manufacturers.
Source: Courtesy of Instacart
Kettle Cooked Back Bay Crab Seasoning
> Brand: Cape Cod
> Brand owner: Snyder’s-Lance (Campbell Soup Company)
[in-text-ad]
Salsa con Queso
> Brand: Cheetos
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Instacart
Limón Flavored
> Brand: Clancy’s
> Brand owner: Axium Foods, Inc. (McCleary, Inc.)
Source: Courtesy of Amazon
Mighty Mesquite BBQ
> Brand: Crunch Tators
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Instacart
Asian Sweet & Spicy Kettle Cooked
> Brand: Deep River Snacks
> Brand owner: Arca Continental
Source: mattieb / Flickr
3D Zesty Ranch
> Brand: Doritos
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Walmart
Habenero/Guacamole
> Brand: Doritos
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Source: Courtesy of Amazon
Jumpin’ Jack Cheese
> Brand: Doritos
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Source: Courtesy of Bring back Wild and Mild Ranch Fritos!
Wild ‘n Mild Ranch
> Brand: Fritos
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Instacart
Spicy Thai
> Brand: Kettle Brand
> Brand owner: Campbell Soup Company
Source: Courtesy of Walmart
Bacon Mac & Cheese
> Brand: Lay’s
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Walmart
Southern Biscuits & Gravy
> Brand: Lay’s
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Source: Courtesy of Amazon
Wavy Fried Green Tomato
> Brand: Lay’s
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Zesty Pepperoni Pizza
> Brand: Pizzarias
> Brand owner: Keebler Company
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Instacart
Cinnamon & Sugar
> Brand: Pringles
> Brand owner: Kellogg’s
Source: Courtesy of Route 11 Potato Chips via Facebook
Garlic & Herb
> Brand: Route 11
> Brand owner: Sarah Cohen
[in-text-ad]
Source: baspentrubas / Getty Images
Cajun Spice
> Brand: Ruffles
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Loaded Bacon & Cheddar Potato Skins
> Brand: Ruffles
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
Source: theimpulsivebuy / Flickr
Sweet & Spicy BBQ
> Brand: Sun Chips
> Brand owner: Frito-Lay (PepsiCo)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Walmart
Cheddar Cheese & Bacon
> Brand: Tato Skins
> Brand owner: Keebler Company
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