Who Invented Potato Chips

French fries in sealed bags were born in the mid-nineteenth century out of spite from a cook. At least that's what the official version says.

Impossible not to love French fries, both the sticks we make at home, found in restaurants and fast food outlets, and those in bags that we munch on everywhere. But to whom do we owe this culinary invention? The most official version has it that we have to thank George Crum, a cook at the Lake House restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York, who invented them in 1853 when a customer refused to eat his plate of fries because they were too big.

VERY THIN. Crum decided to tease him: he cut the potatoes so that they were very thin, almost transparent, and after frying them in hot oil he sprinkled them with salt. He was convinced of it: they would have been hard and inedible.

Contrary to his expectations, those chips were very popular. Not only did the obnoxious customer devour them with gusto, but by word of mouth other customers arrived at his restaurant asking for more and more. Those fries that were served hot weren't yet similar, however, to the ones we find in the bags and which are at room temperature. But Crum, once again, had an idea: when he opened his new restaurant, he placed a basket of cold chips on each table.

MORE CRUNCHY. And the ones in the envelope? In 1926 Laura Scudder, a Californian entrepreneur, had the idea of selling French fries - which were sold in cans or glass containers - in waxed paper bags. This way, the fries stayed fresh and crunchy for longer. And finally, also thanks to the cellophane packaging, they were produced all over the world.