George Crum and the Potato Chip

One of the most well-known appetizers in the world has a history of accidental creation and resentment. A man went to Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, one day in 1853 and ordered fried potatoes. The man complained that his dinner wasn't salty or crispy enough and that the fries were too thick when it was delivered.

George Crum, also known as George Speck, was the restaurant's chef. He was of Native American and African American origin, and he didn't like picky diners. His potatoes were overly substantial? Well, he cut them as thinly as he could. These weren't sufficiently salted or crispy? So, he boiled them until they were crunchy and then salted them. The customer loved them, much to Crum's astonishment, and so potato chips, or Saratoga chips, as Crum named them, were created.

Some versions of the narrative assert that railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt was the benefactor, which only serves to enhance how surreal the story already is. Regrettably, there is no evidence to support any of the story's claims to be real. Even though Crum was regarded as one of America's greatest chefs of the day, no one, not even Crum himself, credited him with creating the potato chip throughout his lifetime. After his passing, this rumor began to circulate, and it is still unclear who actually invented what.