In Celebration of National Tortilla Chip Day: 5 Things You Didn't Know about Tortilla Chips

Highlights:

• Tortilla chips are a great example of how historical events have influenced the culture of food. 
• Tortilla chips today have evolved to offer more flavor options and different functional benefits. 

The Rise of the Tortilla Chip in the U.S.

Food holidays like National Tortilla Chip Day give us a chance to reflect on how events in our country’s history have influenced today’s food culture, including our own food preferences and habits. While it’s hard to be certain who was the first to convert soft tortillas into crispy triangular treats, Rebecca Webb Carranza is often credited. 

It was the late 1940s, and she and her husband had just installed an automated tortilla making machine at their L.A. company El Zarape Tortilla Factory. Unhappy with the misshapen and torn tortillas the machine sometimes produced, Rebecca had the idea to salvage the pieces by cutting them up and frying them. Her family loved them, and soon “Tort Chips” were being sold all over the West Coast. 

Tortilla Chip Trends

While the traditional tortilla chip continues to be beloved by consumers, it has also shown the ability to evolve to keep up with today’s snack trends. Organic and non-GMO, grain-free (made with alternative flours like cassava and tigernut flours), and extreme flavors (especially from superhot peppers) are some notable tortilla chip trends.

Health-focused snack trends are also influencing tortilla chip offerings. There are protein- and fiber-fortified tortilla chips, as well as tortilla chips made from bean and vegetable powders. Superfood inclusions like flax and chia seeds are also boosting the health profile of today’s tortilla chips. Globally, 2-3% of tortilla chip launches included flax and/or chia seeds, led by the U.S. and Canada.¹

5 Fun Facts About Tortilla Chips

To commemorate National Tortilla Chip Day, here are some fun facts about tortilla chips you can share with your friends and family:

1. In 2012, the UK’s largest tortilla chip was made to promote Brewers Fayre’s new Tex Mex all-you-can-eat buffet. The giant chip weighed 110 pounds and measured 32 feet long, making it about 10,000 times bigger than a regular tortilla chip.
2. Thanks to a group of elementary school students, tortilla chips and salsa became the official state snack of Texas in 2003. They proposed the idea to their state representative after learning that Texas had a state dish, a state pepper, and a state fruit but no state snack.
3. Doritos got their start in the 1960s at Disneyland restaurant Casa de Fritos when the restaurant’s tortilla supplier suggested cutting up, frying, and seasoning unused tortillas rather than tossing them. When Frito-Lay marketing executive Archibald Clark West saw these new snacks, he cut a deal with the tortilla supplier to produce them for Frito-Lay until production was ultimately brought in-house.
4. The masa used for tortilla chips is made through nixtamalization, an ancient Mayan process that involves soaking corn in an alkaline solution. This step alters the chemistry, allowing the corn flour to be formed into a dough. It’s also the reason tortilla chips have a different texture and flavor than corn chips.
5. The tortilla chip sombrero worn by Gru in the movie Despicable Me 2 has moved beyond the realm of fiction. Some creative chefs have posted recipes for making your own edible party hat, with room to add your favorite dip or salsa.

A Celebration to Savor

This National Tortilla Chip Day, be sure to enjoy some tortilla chips your way—whether it’s as nachos or an edible sombrero! And like all holidays, this one should be shared with friends and family. 

We can help you meet the healthy snacking trends of today. Our plant-based solutions portfolio contains functional and nutritious flax, chia, quinoa and oat ingredients and provides high-quality solutions that give your products outstanding nutrition, functionality, and flavor.  Our XtraPro^TM Seasonings offer an innovative approach to protein fortification in the form of a high-protein seasoning flavor system for snacks. Collaborate with us to find out how we can help you make a snack your consumers are sure to love.  

References

1. Mintel, 2021.