National Corn Chip Day
National Corn Chip Day:
Every year on January 29th, National Corn Chip Day is being celebrated throughout the entire country. This is the day for the corn chip lovers, encouraging them to celebrates their favorite snack with whipped dips and toppings according to taste.
| Year | Date | Day | Where |
| 2022 | 29th January | Saturday | United States |
| 2023 | 29th January | Sunday | United States |
| 2023 | 29th January | Monday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalCornChipDay
#CornChipDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on January 29th:
Why National Corn Chip Day?
National Corn Chip Day is celebrated as a tribute to the inventors and Doolin, who gifted the world with their crunchy magical recipe of the corn chips, which is a much have as an evening snack in today’s world. This day is also celebrated for the corn chip lovers who are encouraged to whip up their favorite dips, fill the toppings, and hit the party with their much-loved corn chips.
It all started in the 1930s with two names – Filler and Doolin. The introduction of corn chips happened in the United States through the legendary hands of these two men, the patent and credit of marketing is sealed with their names.
How Can We Observe National Corn Chip Day:
It all starts with preparing varied toppings, including shredded pork or chicken, some cheese, sour cream, olive, steak onion steak, queso, guac, and jalapenos.
- Then comes the whipping of mouth-watering flavored dips made out of cheese with layers, melting, added with herbs. Some prefer spicy and hot dips, while others go for a fresh and light version.
- Finally is the packaging, adding these favorite snacks in lunch boxes with alluring dips and dropped with a crunchy note saying “Happy Corn Chip Day.”
- With the rise of social media, this day is also recognized by posting pictures of corn chips decorated with favorite topping complemented with salsa or queso marked with hashtags of #CornChip, #NationalCornChipDay, #happyCornChipDay, and many more.
Interesting Facts about National Corn Chip Day:
Teresa Hernandez, a chef at Woolworth’s lunch counter in Santa Fe, invented “Frito Chili Pie” in the 1960s.
- Though both corn chips or “friotes” and tortilla chips are made with cornmeal by frying in oil or baking, these two are not the same thing. The difference is created at the very beginning when the corn is being processed. The corn is soaked in a lime-water solution that is going to be used for preparing tortilla chips which are done to remove the hulls from the whole grain corn. This whole process gives the tortilla chip is crispy touch and makes it milder than that of the corn chip. While the corn chip has a much stronger corny flavor with a sturdier texture than that of the tortilla chip.
- Both corn chips and tortilla chips are extremely popular as a snack with their origin in Mexico.
- A corn chip is usually made in a noodle shape though smaller in size or scoops shape, usually baked or fried in oil made out of cornmeal.
- In some places, the corn chips and chili are packed together in a bag and are directly consumed from the package, which is popularly known as “Walking Taco.”
History of National Corn Chip Day:
Since 2002, the National Corn Chip Day is being celebrated on 29th January every year, but the original organizers of this grand fest are not identified.
It was Isador J. Filler, who was traveling in San Antonio in Texas as a sales guy who often grabbed and ate a hard corn tortilla added with toppings known as a tostada. He innovated the rectangular version of them and came up with the idea of marketing them as the chip. His concept was marked in the patent in 1932.
Now Elmer Doolin, Filler’s contemporary, was also traveling in San Antonio and enjoying “friotes.” There is a story prevalent that Doolin bought the recipe at the cost of $100, or some say he pawned his mother’s wedding ring for that very recipe. Then it is said that he started exploring and experimenting with the recipe in his kitchen and finally made his ideal chip. Then he jumped into its marketing riding his Model T Ford. He had to start mass production as his chips were hit under the brand name of “Frito Corn Chips.”
Herman Lay of potato chip fame and Doolin signed an agreement in the year 1945 to spread the market of Doolin’s Fritos countrywide. After Doolin died in 1959, the companies came together.
