Consumers in the United States spend more than $7 billion US Dollars (USD) a year on potato chips, which adds up to 2-4 billion pounds (1-2 billion kg) of potato chips a year. About 12 million pounds (5.5 million kg) of potato chips are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday alone.
More facts about potato chips:
- Potato chips reportedly got their start in 1853 when a patron of a Sarasota Springs resort — some say Cornelius Vanderbilt — sent some potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were too thick and soggy. The incensed chef sliced them extra-thin, salted them heavily and sent them back in defiance. To his surprise, the patron liked them, and they became a regular item on the menu.
- The majority of chipping potatoes — special varieties of potatoes for making chips — in the U.S. come from North Dakota, Pennsylvania or Florida.
- Potato chip flavors from around the world include paprika, roast chicken, meat pie, pickled onion, grill and sour cream and béarnaise.