Corn Chip Day falls on January 29, the same day as Tortilla Chip Day. Corn chips are made from cornmeal, baked or fried and then dipped in guacamole or salsa.
The first corn chip was invented by Native Americans in Mexico. The Spanish conquistadors who came to the Americas brought wheat flour, which was used to make tortillas. However, it wasn’t until Europeans brought corn from Africa that the traditional tortilla chip was born.
The first tortilla chips were made by frying strips of dried corn in hot oil. These became popular as a snack food and are still eaten today. The next wave of popularity came with the invention of Doritos, which were invented by a man named Arch West in 1966.
They were originally called “Taco Flavored Corn Chips” and were made with ground corn, water, vegetable oil, salt, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) powder. The first Doritos were only available in two flavors—nacho cheese and taco.
The next big innovation in tortilla chips was when Frito-Lay introduced the first flavored tortilla chip—Cool Ranch Doritos—in 1994. Since then, there have been many new flavors of tortilla chips.
