Dips For Chips Became Popular In The 1950’s National Chip And Dip Day, an annual favorite food holiday, is observed every March 23rd. It celebrates a perfect combination loved by many across the country. Chips and dip are a popular party dish as it is not only favored by most but also quick and easy to prepare. People have been dipping their food for centuries. Hummus-like recipes date back to the 13th century. These are some of the first “dip” recipes found. Dips have been made for thousands of years. One of the earliest dips to become popular long before chips ever came into existence is the Greek tzatziki, a combination of yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, salt and olive oil. Greeks still eat tzatziki with meats and bread, but since the invention of the potato chip in the mid-19th century, it and many variations of it have also become popular chip dips. Guacamole, yet another iconic chip dip, that was first made by the Aztecs. Hummus and other types of dipping sauces have been part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines for centuries. Though these chip and dip recipes appeared in other parts of the world, they did not appear in the United States until after World War II. Dips for chips first become popular in the 1950s serving as finger food. Choices of chips can be tortilla chips, potato chips, or pretzels. It takes 10,000 pounds of potatoes to make 3,500 pounds of potato chips. Dips can be salsa, guacamole, cheesey, chummus, olive dip – anything can be made into a dip. A whole avocado contains 200-300 calories and is a good source of vitamin A, C, E and the B vitamins, as well as fiber and potassium. Poised to reach a robust $19.2 billion in sales by 2020, chips and dips are an indulgent choice for U.S. snackers. There’s one habit the majority of U.S. consumers share: 94 percent snack at least once a day, according to Mintel, providing a huge market for the $16.4 billion chips and dip category. Tortilla chip sales reached $13.6 billion in 2015 Innovative and limited-time flavor introductions will move forecasted growth of chips to $15.8 billion by 2020 52 percent of consumers who buy potato chips agree taste is more important than health 93 percent of adults purchased chips within the past six months, while 84 percent have purchased dip French Onion as a flavor emerged in the 17th century. Sour cream was invented in the U.S. between 1815 – 1825. Somewhere around there, the first dip as we know it must have come into being. No one has laid claim to that distinction, but if we were around then, we surely would have! Sources National Day Calendar Days of the Year Foodimentary Joy of Kosher Specialty Food The Chopping Block.