George Crum
Encyclopedia
George "Speck" Crum son of "a mulatto jockey and an Indian maid", according to a menu used at Moon's Lake House, was the cook at Moon's Lake House, a resort at the south end of the lake in Saratoga Springs
, New York
, USA. He is widely credited as the inventor of potato chip
s.
french fries
were "too thick". The angered cook was frustrated by this remark, so he decided to give the maximal opposite of what the client was complaining about: he sliced potatoes paper-thin, overfried
them to a crisp, and seasoned them with an excess of salt
. When the crisps were prepared, he gave them to the customer, expecting him to be dissatisfied. However, the customer loved them. The chips became popular, and became known as Saratoga chips. Crum was able to open his own restaurant in 1860 with the profits he made selling his new chips. They remained a local delicacy until the Prohibition
era, when an enterprising salesman named Herman Lay
popularized the product throughout the Southeast United States.
According to urban legend
, the hard-to-please customer in Saratoga Springs was none other than railroad magnate Commodore
Cornelius Vanderbilt
, but more than likely it was a much more obscure customer. An early source for the story identifies Vanderbilt as a regular customer, but not as the unintentional co-originator of the famous snack.
However, a recipe for fried potato "shavings" had been printed in the U.S. in 1832, in a book explicitly derived from an even earlier English collection. “Claims that the product originated in Saratoga, NY, in 1853 may be looked at with appropriate skepticism.”
It is curious that a biography commissioned by Crum himself in 1893 did not mention his famous invention. It is possible that Crum's sister, Katie Speck Wicks, either made the first discovery herself or in conjunction with Crum. A contemporary source even gives credit to Cary Moon's wife Harriet, stating that she developed the side dish over time.
Despite all the stories about the invention of the potato chip by George (Speck) Crum and/or his sister Katie Speck Wicks, it would seem that all of this is rendered moot if one only consults cookbooks extant at the time. William Kitchiner's The Cook's Oracle includes a recipe for what can only be described as a potato chip, even though it is not called such in this cookbook. Equally so, one must acknowledge that N.K.M. Lee's cookbook which seemingly at the very least plagiarized Kitchiner, for her cookbook has virtually the same recipe for potato chips as Kitchiner. Whether one called it a potato chip or not, it would seem that a thinly sliced potato cooked in hot oil and served sprinkled with salt existed before either George Crum or his sister Katie Speck Wicks 'invented' the potato chip.
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. He is widely credited as the inventor of potato chip
Potato chip
Potato chips are thin slices of potato that are deep fried...
s.
Invention of chips
According to one story, on August 24, 1853, a customer complained that Cumfrench fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
were "too thick". The angered cook was frustrated by this remark, so he decided to give the maximal opposite of what the client was complaining about: he sliced potatoes paper-thin, overfried
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
them to a crisp, and seasoned them with an excess of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. When the crisps were prepared, he gave them to the customer, expecting him to be dissatisfied. However, the customer loved them. The chips became popular, and became known as Saratoga chips. Crum was able to open his own restaurant in 1860 with the profits he made selling his new chips. They remained a local delicacy until the Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
era, when an enterprising salesman named Herman Lay
Herman Lay
Herman W. Lay was a Nashville, Tennessee, USA businessman who started H.W. Lay Co., Inc., now part of the Frito-Lay corporation.Lay began his career as a 24-year-old delivery driver. As a travelling salesman for the Barrett Food Company, he delivered potato chips to his customers in his Ford Model...
popularized the product throughout the Southeast United States.
According to urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
, the hard-to-please customer in Saratoga Springs was none other than railroad magnate Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
, but more than likely it was a much more obscure customer. An early source for the story identifies Vanderbilt as a regular customer, but not as the unintentional co-originator of the famous snack.
However, a recipe for fried potato "shavings" had been printed in the U.S. in 1832, in a book explicitly derived from an even earlier English collection. “Claims that the product originated in Saratoga, NY, in 1853 may be looked at with appropriate skepticism.”
It is curious that a biography commissioned by Crum himself in 1893 did not mention his famous invention. It is possible that Crum's sister, Katie Speck Wicks, either made the first discovery herself or in conjunction with Crum. A contemporary source even gives credit to Cary Moon's wife Harriet, stating that she developed the side dish over time.
Despite all the stories about the invention of the potato chip by George (Speck) Crum and/or his sister Katie Speck Wicks, it would seem that all of this is rendered moot if one only consults cookbooks extant at the time. William Kitchiner's The Cook's Oracle includes a recipe for what can only be described as a potato chip, even though it is not called such in this cookbook. Equally so, one must acknowledge that N.K.M. Lee's cookbook which seemingly at the very least plagiarized Kitchiner, for her cookbook has virtually the same recipe for potato chips as Kitchiner. Whether one called it a potato chip or not, it would seem that a thinly sliced potato cooked in hot oil and served sprinkled with salt existed before either George Crum or his sister Katie Speck Wicks 'invented' the potato chip.