Fritos is the name of a brand of
corn chipA corn chip is a snack food made from cornmeal fried in oil or baked, usually in the shape of a small noodle or scoop. Corn chips are thick, rigid and very crunchy...
s made by
Frito-LayFrito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
. Elmer Doolin was so taken with the bag of corn chips served with his lunch in
San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
that he paid $100 for the recipe. In 1932, he started the Frito Corporation. Original Fritos ingredients are limited to whole corn, corn oil, and salt.
From 1952 until 1967, the Frito Kid was the company's official mascot. The
Frito BanditoThe Frito Bandito was the cartoon mascot for Fritos corn chips from 1967 to 1971. The Bandito was created by the Foote, Cone & Belding Agency, and animated by Tex Avery. The character was voiced by Mel Blanc, who used an exaggerated Mexican accent not unlike another character of his, Speedy...
was its mascot from 1967 until about 1971, and was discontinued due to complaints about the Bandito image. He was replaced by "the Muncha Bunch," perhaps to recall the name of "
The Wild BunchThe Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
," a popular film of the time. In the mid-1970s, Fritos' mascot was a
W. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
caricature,
W.C. Fritos. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Fritos used the commercial jingle, "Muncha buncha, muncha buncha, muncha buncha, muncha buncha, Fritos goes with lunch" (sung to the tune of "
Aba Daba HoneymoonAba Daba Honeymoon is a popular song that was written and published by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan in 1914. Known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp," the first recording of Aba...
").
Varieties
- Original
- Barbecue
- Chili Cheese
- Flamin' Hot
- McGraw's Spicy Jalapeño (limited edition)
- Tangy Roasted Corn
- Sabrositas (lime & chile)
- Scoops (wider chips intended for dipping)
- Hoops (Go Snacks)
- Pinch of Salt
- Dirty Mexican Chicken
- Ranch Style
- Chutney (in South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
)
Additionally, a sub-brand called Twists are produced in three flavors:
- Tex-Mex
- Honey Barbecue
- Tapatio
Tapatío is a Mexican Spanish colloquial term for someone from Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico's second largest city. It is also used as an adjective for anything associated with Guadalajara.-Etymology:...
Discontinued variations:
- King Size
- Fritos Lite
- Fritos Tabasco
- Fritos Racers, the Fritos material formed into a more crunchy race car shape were sold for a short while before the introduction of Twists.
- Nacho Cheese (late 1980s-early 1990s)
- Ranch (late 1980s-early 1990s)
- Cheddar Ranch Twists (late 1990s-early 2000s)
- Texas Grill, a thicker version of the original with "grill strips" on the chips. The honey barbecue flavor transitioned over to the twists.
Pork enzymes
Some Frito-Lay brand seasoned products, including some flavors of Fritos, contain pork enzymes as part of cheese flavorings, though numerous cheese-flavored Frito-Lay products do not contain pork enzymes. The presence of pork enzymes make such products treif for Jews and
haraamHaraam is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden", or "sacred". In Islam it is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by the word of Allah in the Qur'an or the Hadith Qudsi. Haraam is the highest status of prohibition given to anything that would result in sin when a Muslim commits it...
for Muslims.
External links