Where Did Chocolate Covered Potato Chips Originate From?

Sweet and salty foods may have their own distinct flavor profiles, but combining the two can create an entirely new taste sensation. Some popular treats that follow this trend include salted caramels, kettle corn, and Wendy's fries dipped in a chocolate Frosty. But why does the combination work, despite having opposite flavors? How Stuff Works reports that salt is actually a flavor enhancer, and a little bit of salt added to your food could actually help bring out the sweetness of the sugar even more.

This phenomenon is reportedly called "flavor layering," and it can actually cause a positive reaction due to satisfying our cravings. People tend to crave sugar for the energy gained from carbohydrates, while salt is associated with nutrition. The mixture of the two, combined with the different flavors of the foods, can satisfy the taste buds. One sweet-and-salty snack, the chocolate-covered potato chip, combines two crave-worthy flavors into one.

Potato chips have been around since 1853, according to the Jones Potato Chip Company. The story goes that George Crum was working as a chef at Moon Lake Lodge resort in New York. Though the restaurant's French fries were reportedly popular, one unhappy customer complained that his fries were too thick. Crum made several batches of thinner fried potatoes until the customer was happy. The chips — then called "Saratoga chips" or "potato crunches" — were packaged and sold in New England. Today, potato chips come in a wide range of brands, flavors, and textures.

Chocolate, meanwhile, got its start much earlier. Around 4,000 years ago, the Olmec civilization in Latin America used cacao plants to make chocolate, which was used as a medicinal drink, or for rituals, according to Magnum Ice Cream. The Mayans also created a drink from cacao, while the Aztecs believed that chocolate beverages were a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl.

Though these foods are both popular on their own, when combined, they create a unique, sweet-and-salty snack.

When chocolate-covered potato chips were first said to be invented, they were released under a different name. The snacks were called "chippers," and were made by Widman's Candy (per Tasteatlas). According to the Carol Widman's Candy Co. website, the treats are made from Red River Valley potato chips and come coated in a variety of chocolate options. Customers can choose milk chocolate, dark semi-sweet chocolate, or white chocolate with almonds. Sizes range from a little under a tenth of a pound, all the way up to a five-pound box for the fanatics of these treats.

Widman's website states that the company was founded in 1885. A century later, in 1985, Chicago's Executive Sweets introduced chocolate-covered potato chips to the market, sparking the popularity of the snack (via Tasteatlas).  

We The Italians offers another account of where the snack originated, stating the inventor was Vincent Grimaldi. In an attempt to get his job back at a French confectionary in 1961, Grimaldi was constantly thinking up new snack ideas. While shopping for groceries, the chocolate-covered chip idea came to him and the rest, as they say, is history.

Regardless of its origin, today a variety of brands sell their own versions, including the snack giant Lay's. Even if you've never thought of dipping your chips in melted chocolate before, if you're feeling ambitious, you could always grab a bag of your favorite potato chips and some melting chocolate and give it a shot.