Tater tots

Tater tots[5] (which are put under many different labels outside the US) are a food made from grated and deep-fried potato, often served as a side dish.[1] They are recognized by their compact cylindrical shape and crispy exterior. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida—which has been a subsidiary of Heinz since 1965—but has become so widely associated with the food that it is often used as a generic term.[6] "Tater" is short for potato.[7]

Tater tots
A close-up of a plate of 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 (shipped frozen)
Main ingredientsPotato
VariationsVeggie tots
Food energy
(per serving)
160 per 86g serving[4] kcal

History

Tater tots were invented in 1953 when American frozen food company Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg 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. Thus, tots were born. 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 food 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 70,000,000 pounds (32,000,000 kg) of tater tots, or 3,710,000,000 tots per year.[12][13]

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

Usage

Europe

In the United Kingdom, Ross Frozen Foods once produced "Oven Crunchies" which are no longer available.

North America

Canada

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

United States

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, OR.[15]

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.

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. "Ore-Ida Fun Zone – Fun Facts". Ore-Ida.
  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. "The Francis Nephi ("Neef") Grigg Papers". University of Utah Library Special Collections.
  4. "Ore-Ida Tater Tots – Nutrition Facts" Archived 2012-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Technically and more accurately, "Tater Tot" is the proper trademarked name of Ore-Ida.
  6. 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.
  7. "tater". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  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. Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat: An ... - Andrew F. Smith. p. 695.
  14. "Green Giant® Veggie Tots Broccoli". Green Giant®. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  15. "Jim Parker, beloved Portland publican who invented the totcho, has died".
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