Potato chips are a delicious snack enjoyed by people all over the world. There’s even a national day dedicated to them called National Potato Chip Day, which falls annually on March 14.
As with many inventions, there is some debate as to who invented potato chips, and several people have been credited with the title. One popular legend says that potato chips were invented in Saratoga Springs, New York by George Speck.
George Speck, who went by the name George Crum professionally, was said to have invented potato chips in 1853 due to a picky customer’s complaints.
This legend says that while dining at Moon’s Lake House, a diner sent back the fried potato dish the restaurant was known for because they were to thick and soggy. After the dish was remade, the customer sent it back a second time.
This frustrated Chef George Crum, so he came up with an idea to return a dish so thin and crispy it would be inedible. He sliced the potatoes extremely thinly and fried them.
When the potatoes returned to the table, the guest loved them, and so did others who tried them. Chef George Crum called them Saratoga chips after their place of origin.
No matter who invented the potato chip, it’s definitely a treat worth celebrating on National Potato Chip Day, and any day you’d like a snack!
How to celebrate National Potato Chip Day
National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate foods, animals and items that you come into contact with. Be sure to check out this national days guide for more information about the history of national days and why we celebrate them.
The best way to celebrate National Potato Chip Day is to eat potato chips. If you’re looking for another creative way to celebrate this March 14 national day, try one of the ideas below.
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- Make your own potato chips by using the homemade potato chips recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Get your own personalized potato chip clip, so that no one will steal your favorite bag of chips!
- Host a potato chip party and have each of your guests bring over their favorite flavor of potato chips.
- Get custom potato chip bags for your next celebratory event. They would be great for birthdays, bachelor(ette) parties and more!
- Host a girl’s night where you pair potato chips with different types of wine by using this wine and potato chips guide.
- Show your love of potato chips by wearing potato chips earrings, or a necklace with a potato chip pendant.
- When you think of chips and dip, you might imagine a classic pairing like tortilla chips and guacamole, but today would be a great day to enjoy potato chips and onion dip.
Facts about potato chips
Celebrate National Potato Chip Day by learning the potato chip facts below. Some may surprise you!
- Potato chips can be prepared either deep-fried, air-fried, or oven-baked.
- In the UK potato chips are called “crisps”, and French fries are called “chips”.
- In Australia, both French fries and potato chips are called chips and are differentiated as “hot chips” and “cold chips”, respectively.
- The largest bag of potato chips ever created weighed 1,141 kg (2,515 lb and 7.52 oz) and was made by Corkers Crisps in the UK in 2013.
- Potato chips are usually made from russet potatoes but can also be made from sweet potatoes. There are also other vegetables used to make veggie chips.
- Charles Dickens mentions potato chips in his book “A Tale of Two Cities” which was originally published in 1859.
If you enjoyed learning these facts about potato chips, make sure to check out our fun facts section, which has trivia about all sorts of foods, items and holidays.
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If you enjoyed learning ways to celebrate this March 14 national day, don’t forget to share this post with your friends. Here’s a tweet to get you started:
Celebrate National Potato Chip Day by heading to Always the Holidays to learn fun facts about potatoes! 🥔 #NationalDay #PotatoChipFacts Share on XMore March 14 national days
Did you enjoy learning about National Potato Chip Day? You’ll be excited to know that there are over 150 national days in March! Like this one, many of the observances are March national food days.
There are so many reasons to celebrate March 14, because it is host to more than just one national day!
Here is a complete list of all the March 14 national days:
- National Potato Chip Day
- National Learn About Butterflies Day
- National Children’s Craft Day
- National Pi Day
- Science Education Day
- Celebrate Scientists Day
- Genius Day
- Legal Assistance Day
- Moth-er Day
- International Ask a Question Day
- National Save a Spider Day
Make sure to watch this YouTube video to learn about more national food days in March.
Pin this post on National Potato Chip Day for later
Would you like a reminder of this post on National Potato Chip Day with a homemade potato chip recipe? Just pin this image to one of your national day boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Make a homemade potato chips recipe to celebrate National Potato Chip Day. Not only are the delicious, but they are relatively easy to make. The recipe for potato chips below makes plain, salted potato chips. If you want to make flavored potato chips you can add any seasonings you like at the same time that you add the salt to the recipe below. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.Homemade Potato Chips Recipe for National Potato Chip Day
Ingredients
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 248Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g 
About the author
Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.