French fries were invented in 1853 by chef George “Speck” Crum, who tried to please a customer at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. Crum sliced potatoes thinner and added salt, creating a new craze. The origin of Saratoga chips is unclear, but they became popular in New England and New York. French fries were mass-produced in the 20th century.
French fries, originally known as Saratoga fries, were born in 1853 when chef George “Speck” Crum tried to please a disgruntled diner at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. The unhappy customer would send his plate of hash browns back to the kitchen, complaining that they were too thick and soggy. Crum’s attempt to fry potatoes so thin and crispy they can’t be poked with a fork has created a new craze.
Whether the disgruntled patron sent his fries back more than once demanding that they be thinner and crispier each time is legend. Crum, of Native American and African American descent, is said to have sliced potatoes thinner after each request and added substantial amounts of salt. Crum’s sister Catherine Speck Wick also worked at Moon’s Lake House and some theories about the origin of Saratoga chips revolve around her.
Some stories say that Wick accidentally dropped slices of potatoes in deep fat meant for frying donuts; when his brother Crum savored the accidental result, Saratoga Chips, he was pleased. No matter which account is accurate, Crum opened his own restaurant in Saratoga Springs in 1860. There he served fish, game, and his original Saratoga chips to various wealthy customers. Crum, however, never patented his Saratoga chips, which have become quite popular in the New England and New York areas.
Of course, regardless of origins, fries or Saratoga fries, they’ve created a life of their own. In 1880, a recipe for Saratoga potato chips, identified as Saratoga potatoes, was published in Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping. French fries became mass-produced in the 20th century. One of the first manufacturers of potato chips was the Mike-Sells company, founded in 1910 in Ohio. Before the familiar pouches that are now used for the storage and sale of chips, chips were stored in jars or jars.
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