Tater tots
CourseEntrée or side dish, sometimes as part of a main course
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateOntario, Oregon
Created byF. Nephi Grigg, and Golden Grigg[1][2][3] (in 1953)
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsPotato
VariationsVeggie tots
Food energy
(per serving)
(serving size: 86 g) 160[4] kcal

Tater tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish.[1] The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term.[5] "Tater" is short for potato.[6] Ore-Ida also markets a coin-shaped version called "Crispy Crowns".[7]

History

Tater tots were invented in 1953 when American frozen food company Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg, Golden Grigg, and Ross Erin Butler Sr. were trying to figure out what to do with leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes.[1][2][3] They chopped up the slivers, added flour and seasoning, then pushed the mash through holes and sliced off pieces of the extruded mixture. The product was first offered commercially in stores in 1956.[8]

The name "Tater Tot" is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida—which has been a subsidiary of Heinz since 1965—but has become so widely associated with the dish that it is often used as a generic term.[9] "Tater" is short for potato.[10] The name "Tater Tot" was created in the 1950s, and soon trademarked by a member of the Ore-Ida company's research committee who used a thesaurus to come up with an alliterative name.[11]

Originally, the product was very inexpensive; according to advertising lectures at 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 (32,000 t) of Tater Tots, or 3,710,000,000 Tots per year.[12][13]

Since at least 2016, vegetable companies (like the Green Giant brand) have introduced "veggie tots" which seek to substitute more nutritionally dense vegetables (e.g. broccoli and cauliflower) for the potato.[14][15]

Usage

Asia

Tater tots, locally known as mat-gamja (Korean: 맛감자), are a common bunsik item in Korea.[16] It is often served in a paper cup, with drizzled sweet gochujang-based sauce.

Europe

In the United Kingdom, Ross Frozen Foods once produced "Oven Crunchies" which are no longer available, although generic versions remain widely available.. McCain Foods currently produce "Hash Brown Potato Bites" that are similar to classic tater tots.

North America

In Canada, McCain Foods Limited calls its line "Tasti Taters".

In the United States, tater tots are common at school-lunch counters and cafeterias.[13] They are also sold in the frozen food sections of grocery stores.[13] Some fast-food restaurants also offer them.

Supermarket chain Safeway sells a generic brand of tater tots known as "Tater Treats". Cascadian Farm calls its line "Spud Puppies". Sonic drive-in also features tater tots on their regular menu: available toppings include cheese and chili. Sonic also sells "Cheesy Tots", coin-shaped tots that contain melted cheese and potatoes. Several restaurants in the Pacific Northwest offer a nacho version of tots known as "totchos", covered in nacho cheese sauce and toppings. Totchos were invented by publican Jim Parker in Portland, Oregon.[17]

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" and "Border Fries". 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 the Midwest states, tater tot hotdish is a very popular soup-based casserole consisting of tater tots, ground beef and various vegetables.

Food franchises Potato Corner and Papa John’s also offer tater tots in select locations, though in the latter case these are branded as ‘Potato Tots’.

Oceania

In Australia and New Zealand, they are known as "potato gems", "potato royals" or "potato pom-poms". The New Zealand Pizza Hut franchise offers "Hash Bites" as a side dish, available alone or with an aioli dipping sauce.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ore-Ida Fun Zone – Fun Facts". Ore-Ida.
  2. 1 2 Lukas, Paul (November 1, 2003). "Mr. Potato Head – A Dirt-Poor Farmer Turned Spud Scraps into Gold". CNN Money. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "The Francis Nephi ("Neef") Grigg Papers". University of Utah Library Special Collections. Archived from the original on 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Ore-Ida Tater Tots – Nutrition Facts" Archived 2012-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Elliott, Stuart (2014-08-25). "Ore-Ida Campaign Focuses on Authenticity of Tater Tots". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-05-14. Tater Tots became successful enough that the brand name grew to be synonymous with the product, a delightful dilemma shared with other brands that pioneered a product category, among them Band-Aid, Kleenex and Xerox.
  6. ↑ "tater". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Ore Ida Extra Crispy Easy Tater Tots Crispy Crowns". Directions for Me.
  8. ↑ The United States Patents Quarterly
  9. ↑ Elliott, Stuart (2014-08-25). "Ore-Ida Campaign Focuses on Authenticity of Tater Tots". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-05-14. Tater Tots became successful enough that the brand name grew to be synonymous with the product, a delightful dilemma shared with other brands that pioneered a product category, among them Band-Aid, Kleenex and Xerox.
  10. ↑ "tater". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  11. ↑ McKinney, Kelsey (28 August 2017). "The Tater Tot Is American Ingenuity at Its Finest". Eater.
  12. ↑ "Culinary Corner: The Fries Have It". WSOC-TV. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat: An ... - Andrew F. Smith. p. 695.
  14. ↑ Watrous, Monica (9 June 2016). "B&G Foods unveils Green Giant innovation". Food Business News. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  15. ↑ Kimball, Molly (18 October 2016). "10 nutritious finds on the freezer aisle for healthful home cooking". The Oregonian. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  16. ↑ 강병오 (22 March 2021). "2021 '뉴' 프랜차이즈". Ilyo Sisa (in Korean). Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Jim Parker, beloved Portland publican who invented the totcho, has died".
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