Crunch!: A History of the Great American Potato Chip

by Dirk Burhans

The potato chip has been one of America's favorite snacks since its accidental origin in a nineteenth-century kitchen. Crunch! A History of the Great American Potato Chip tells the story of this crispy, salty treat, from the early sales of locally made chips at corner groceries, county fairs, and cafes to the mass marketing and corporate consolidation of the modern snack food industry.

Crunch! also uncovers a dark side of potato chip history, including a federal investigation of the snack food industry in the 1990s following widespread allegations of antitrust activity, illegal buyouts, and predatory pricing. In the wake of these "Great Potato Chip Wars," corporate snack divisions closed and dozens of family-owned companies went bankrupt. Yet, despite consolidation, many small chippers persist into the twenty-first century, as mom-and-pop companies and upstart "boutique" businesses serve both new consumers and markets with strong regional loyalties.

Illustrated with images of early snack food paraphernalia and clever packaging from the glory days of American advertising art, Crunch! is an informative tour of large and small business in America and the vicissitudes of popular tastes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, History

232 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2008

Reviews

[Canette Arille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about potato chips. If You like this kind of snack, feel free to read this book. Of course be careful to dont eat the chips on the cover :-D , how I tried to do ;>

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book thanks to a YouTube video about why in America plain, sour cream and onion, barbecue, and salt and vinegar are the canonical potato chip flavors. Ironically, the book doesn't actually talk too much about flavor history, but it does a pretty good job of tracing the history of potato chips from their mythic start in Saratoga to the resurgence of kettle cooked chips in the late 2000s. Along the way there's a lot of information on things from how potatoes came from South America to North America by way of Europe to the time Frito Lays got investigated by the DOJ for alleged antitrust violations. The book does a nice job balancing the sweeping history of the big companies and the major trends with smaller stories of family owned companies that have been serving single communities in Philadelphia's potato chip belt for generations. I definitely learned more about what it's like to make potato chips than I ever knew before. I especially enjoyed reading about the evolving state of the potato chip industry advocacy group and how it's gone from a guy in a truck driving around the country to the Snack Food Association, and the way it did things like protect potato chips during World War II. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and it definitely leaves me craving potato chips. Though I do wish it had been written more recently than 2008 simply because I want to know what's happened in the chip world since then.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've likely heard the legend of how the potato chip was created - a customer, unhappy with their fried potato slices, sent them back and the chef in retaliation, cut them practically paper thin, fried them and the customer declared them a success, requesting the Saratoga chips whenever he ate at the restaurant. And so the potato chip was born and spread as more people went into business making them locally.

Burhans goes tells the overall history of many of these small local businesses - local was all these chippers (as they were called) could do since their product wilted and became soggy all too quickly. He seems to focus on those in Ohio and Pennsylvania, especially the Lancaster area. How advancements were made - nitrogen in the bags, waxed paper bags ironed closed to maintain a couple more days of freshness. Lard - mostly the 'kettle' style chips which gives a distinctive taste and 'dry' chip - as opposed to various oils - a 'wet' chip with its own flavor. The rise of Lays and Fritos. The merger that came to the attention of the Justice Department to make sure that a monopoly wasn't being formed. The lawsuit regarding whether Pringles can be called a potato chip since it's made from potato flakes as opposed to sliced potatoes.

Then there is the various health concerns that potato chips have gone through - the trans fats, the carb diets, the salt added and subtracted.

Then there is the renaissance of artisan chippers - returns to the darker chips, use of alternative potatoes and other vegetables to create new tastes and, of course, the flavored chips from adding dips to Lays which polls it's customers for new flavors to add to their lineup and the voting by purchasing. Some are definitely local favorites!

Burhans finishes up with Taquitos.net, the two decade old site where snacks are serious business - types, flavors, brands, and companies around the world. If there is a flavor you adore but isn't in local stores anymore (first try the company website for information on distribution), this is the place to go. Roast beef flavored chips from England - check. Ketchup flavored chips from Massachusetts - the original cause for the website. Spicy enough to literally hesitate after one or maybe two - yep, them too.

It was a fun read into the history of a snack that has captured our taste buds.

2021-053

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and interesting book about the history of our favorite snack food. It's a short book, but still covers the subject thoroughly , with the author's intelligent research and documentation of facts showing at all times.

The book starts with an intelligent analysis of the legend of how the potato chip was invented. This legend tells us that a chef, angry when a wealty customer at his restaurant complained about a potato dish, fried some potatos into a chip in an act of revenge and then was surprised when everyone liked it. The author of Crunch! makes a good case that this is indeed just a legend and the invention of the chip was a little more mundane.

From there, the book traces the growth of the chip industry from a local snack that was barely on the pop culture radar to the common snack it is today. I had no idea there was a Great Potato Chip War in the '80s and '90s, with corporate behemeth Frito-Lay paying for more shelf-space in stores, which in turn led to an anti-trust investigation against it.

[Jo Besser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given it more like 2.5 stars. I wanted to read it because of the History of Food program on the History channel. I enjoyed the History part of it, but I felt like Burhans went on quite a few tangents. Some of them were interesting, some of them were a little confusing. I will say though, I didn't realize how much work went into making chips.

I will say that I really enjoyed the last chapter on the little "mom and pop" chip companies, since they mentioned my favorite one, Zapp.

[Linda Spear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every potato chip aficionado should read this book, but be prepared to have cravings!

I'm sure some facts have changed since 2008 but every chapter is fascinating. I read this very slowly so as to savor (sorry not sorry) every page.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - This was an interesting history of the potato chip.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read although it did get a little dense at times. The author has definitely done his research but floods us with the information he found.

A light read otherwise

[Hilarie Burhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a potato chip lover, I found this a fascinating book.

[Togaakennedy]

Her best book by far. Brody is just hysterical in this memoir, and yes, she is the sort of person who would go prancing down the street in a gorilla suit to cure her shyness.

[Drake McCrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read but a little lighter on actual history than I would have preferred.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me an interesting look into the potato chip industry. Burhans starts with a history of the potato chip, relating several widespread origin stories that are not true followed by the correct origin story. The potato chip was invented by Katie Wicks in 1851. Wicks' brother George Crumb, a popular restauteur of the time is often credited for inventing it but it wasn't so. Likewise, patron Cornelius Vanderbelt is credited with providing the impetus for the potato chip by refusing plate after plate of fried potatoes from Crumb's restaurant. That story of Vanderbelt, while widespread, also isn't true.

For many years after its invention, potato chips were available only in restaurants and were made the same day they were served. Eventually they began to be sold in paper bags, but since sealing these bags wasn't possible, they stayed fresh for only a short period of time. Then in 1926, Laura Scudder, in California, invented a sealable bag by ironing wax paper strips to the inside of paper bags. About this same time, cellophane began to be widely used and so mass marketing of potato chips began. Interestingly, Scudder also put dates on her bags and is the first known company to put freshness dates on its products.

Burhans proceeds to present the evolvement of the chip industry, highlighting various figures who contributed to one advancement or another. Deep fat fryers, used for making potato chips, were at first difficult to purchase and manage. But improvements sometime in the 1940's or early 1950's helped solve those problems. From the 1930's to the late 1950's there were dozens of potato chip maufacturers around the US. Most of them were regional, serving their local markets. National distribution didn't start until the early 1960's. For example, Frito Lay, one of today's largest potato chip manufacturers didn't get started until the early 1960's.

Burhans also discusses at length the politics of the potato chip industry. I found this section rather tiresome with only a few interesting points.

While there are several chapters of quite dry information about the politics and various ins and outs and financial woes of the potato chip industry, all in all I am glad I read this. As a food enthusist I like knowing more about popular food trends.

[Topher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I see something odd enough that I need to read it; this definitely qualified. The history of the potato chip made for a nice quick airplane book. I may keep an eye out for other works from the author; I'd think favorably of a book if it was written by this author, but, I don't know that I'd go out of my way to find books by them.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the potato chip, from it's 'invention' in Saratoga Springs. Focuses on Lancaster and Berks county PA 'The Chip Belt' It covers companies from the largest Frito-Lay to local kettle chip companies. Best read with a bag of chips handy...

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the end, a midly diverting look at the development of U.S. potato chips to almost the present day. Yes, I remeber the Potato chip wars. I also remeber the great flavors of yesterday.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright more of a lineage of chip companies than anything else. I had hoped it would go into more detail about the actual chipping process. The part about the price wars was interesting.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may seem like a strange choice of books to read, but it was really interesting. I'll look at the potato chip aisle in grocery stores with added appreciation in the future.