George crum and the saratoga chip

The fine details surrounding the invention of one of the United States' favorite snack foods are somewhat hazy.

Why did george crum invent the potato chip

There are several different claims on how the potato chip was invented, but some evidence shows a man named George Crum, a cook and restaurateur was said to have come up with the idea for the tasty crisp. He professionally adopted the name "Crum," as it was the name his father used in his career as a jockey. As a young man, Crum worked as a guide in the Adirondack Mountains and as an Indian trader.

Eventually, he came to realize that he possessed exceptional talent in the culinary arts. In the summer of , he was working as a chef at Saratoga Springs' elegant Moon Lake Lodge resort, where French-fried potatoes were a favorite on the menu. This preparation for potatoes, in which the tubers are cut lengthwise, lightly fried, and eaten with a fork, is said to have become popular in the s.

Thomas Jefferson, having enjoyed them in France during his service as an ambassador to that country, is known to have introduced them to local folks at home and liked to eat and serve them frequently. Legend says Crum became agitated when a customer sent his French-fried potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were cut too thickly.

Crum reacted by slicing the potatoes as thin as he possibly could, frying them in grease, and sending the crunchy brown chips back out on the guest's plate that way. The reaction was unexpected: The guest loved the crisps.