Tater Tots
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) |
 A close-up of a plate of Tater Tots. |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Tots, taters, potato goodness |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Idaho |
| Creator(s) | Ross Butler[1] , F. Nephi Grigg, and Golden Grigg[2] (in 1953) |
| Details | |
| Course | Side dish, snack |
| Serving temperature | Hot (shipped frozen) |
| Main ingredient(s) | Potato |
| Approximate calories per serving |
900[citation needed][clarification needed] |
Tater Tots, a registered trademark of Ore-Ida, are a commercial form of hash browns, a side dish made from deep-fried, grated potatoes.[3] They are widely recognized by their crispness, cylindrical shape and small size.
Contents |
[edit] History
The product was created in 1953 when Ore-Ida founders Ross Butler[4], F. Nephi Grigg, and Golden Grigg[2][5] were trying to figure out what to do with leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes. They chopped up the slivers, added flour and seasoning, then pushed the mash through holes and sliced off pieces of the extruded mixture.[3] The product was first offered in stores in 1956.[citation needed][6]
Originally, the product was very inexpensive. According to advertising lectures at the Iowa State University, people did not buy it at first because there was no perceived value. When the price was raised, people began buying it. Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million pounds per year.[7]
[edit] Etymology
"Tater" is slang for potato (origin: 1750–60; America; by Apheresis, "tato", and substitution of -er for final -o, "tater"); "Tots" may have been derived from their diminutive size, or because they are often served to children.[8][9] In some regions, the term "tater" is informally dropped, and the snack is simply called "tots".
[edit] Usage
 |
This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
[edit] United States
The product is commonly found in the United States in cafeterias and school-lunch counters, as well as the supermarket frozen-food aisle and some fast-food restaurants.
The supermarket chain Safeway Inc. has a generic brand, "Tater Treats". The Sonic Drive-In drive-in fast-food restaurant chain also features "Tater Tots" as a regular menu item, with the option of cheese, chili, or both as toppings; tots with cheese are branded "Cheesy Tots". Cheesy Tots are coin-shaped and, as implied by the name, contain melted cheese as well as potatoes. Several restaurants in the Pacific Northwest offer a nacho version of tots ("totchos"), covered in nacho cheese sauce and toppings.
Some Mexican-style fast-food restaurants offer seasoned Tater Tots: Taco Time and Señor Frog's call them "Mexi-Fries", while Taco Bell used to sell them as "Mexi-Nuggets". Taco Mayo in the Southwest offers round disc-shaped tater tots called "Potato Locos." Taco John's also has coin shaped tots called "Potato Olés".
In some areas of the Northeast, however, they are often called "juliennes" or "potato puffs". In the Midwest states, Tater Tot Hotdish is a very popular soup-based casserole consisting of tater tots, ground beef, and various vegetables. A fancy name for a tater tot is a croquette.
[edit] Non-United States
In Australia, they are known as "potato gems", "potato royals" or "potato pom-poms" (also used in New Zealand). In the United Kingdom, Ross Frozen Foods once produced "oven crunchies" which are no longer available, but are still produced and sold under the name "potato crunchies" by supermarket chain Morrisons. In Canada, McCain Foods Limited calls its line "Tasti Taters". Cascadian Farm calls its line "Spud Puppies".
[edit] See also
[edit] References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tater Tots |
- ^ Lynch, Larry. "RememberingTheArgus". http://rememberingtheargus.blogspot.com/2007/09/classmates-remember-ore-ida-start.html. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ a b Lukas, Paul (November 1, 2003). "Mr. Potato Head – A Dirt-Poor Farmer Turned Spud Scraps into Gold". CNN Money. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/11/01/358297/index.htm. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
- ^ a b "Ore-Ida Fun Zone – Fun Facts". Ore-Ida.
- ^ Lynch, Larry. "RememberingTheArgus". http://rememberingtheargus.blogspot.com/2007/09/classmates-remember-ore-ida-start.html. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ "The Francis Nephi ("Neef") Grigg Papers". University of Utah Library Special Collections. http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/UU_EAD,973.
- ^ Lynch, Larry. "RememberingTheArgus". http://rememberingtheargus.blogspot.com/2007/09/classmates-remember-ore-ida-start.html. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ "Culinary Corner: The Fries Have It". WSOC-TV. http://www.wsoctv.com/food/13455388/detail.html. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
- ^ "Tater". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
- ^ "Tot". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
