Today I am going to talk all about Fritos and answering the all important question, what is a Frito pie? This iconic chip has led to the development of the humble Frito pie. This is a culinary masterpiece that is considered low-brow by many. However, they are a big deal in both Texas and New Mexico. There is even some controversy between the two states on who was first in developing the Frito pie. 

When digging into the background of Fritos, there is a difference between the invention of the company and the actual recipe itself. The Frito Company was born in 1932 during the Great Depression. Charles Elmer Doolin worked at the Highland Park Confectionary in San Antonio, TX. The company was owned by his family. They were always trying to add new products to their portfolio and decided they needed something salty to offset all of the sweets they had to offer. Charles started looking around and responded to an ad in the San Antonio Express. 

The ad was placed by Gustavo Olguin who was the inventor of the original Frito recipe. His ad offered for sale the original recipe for fried corn chips, a modified potato ricer, and some retail accounts. Charles bought the business from Gustavo and began pumping out chips in his mother’s kitchen. Charles had his mom, dad, and brother helping out. These four people formed the first board of directors with their father, Charles Bernard Doolin serving as the first chairman of the board. 

The Frito Corporation

These chips were sold under the name of the Frito Corporation. It was located in the garage, which they quickly outgrew. They bought the house next door and expanded their operations. The following year in 1933-1934, they opened plants in Dallas and Tulsa. By 1947 demand for these chips became so high, that they opened additional plants in Los Angeles and Denver. They also licensed franchises nationwide. One of their most famous franchisees was H.W. Lay and Company. They had exclusive franchise rights to sell Fritos in the southeastern United States. 

This relationship with Lay really helped Fritos take off. It was mutually beneficial. Charles had exclusive rights to sell Lay’s potato chips in the Southwest United States. 

As the company grew and expanded, they developed other products. You may have heard of Cheetos. They also developed additional Frito flavors and various dips. 

Charles was obsessed with perfecting the Frito recipe. He even went as far as to work with Texas farmers to develop his own special hybrid corn variety. He felt this specific variety gave Fritos the perfect flavor. 

What Is A Frito Pie

Now that we have gone through a brief history of Fritos, I’m going to turn my attention to Frito pies. We have to first discuss what is a Frito Pie. A Frito Pie is comfort food central. You get a small bag of Fritos, open the bag, add in chili, cheese and chopped onion. That’s it! Some people will get “fancy” and add pickled jalapeños or sour cream, among other toppings. 

Frito Pies are known by various names. In the Midwest you’ll hear them referred to as walking tacos. You also might hear Texas straw hat, or the classic Frito Pie. You’ll find these all over Texas. Go to any high school football game and you’re in business. You’ll easily find many people willing to scoop some hormel chili into a bag of Fritos. 

They are traditionally served in a paper boat with the bag of chips split down the middle and the chili poured right inside. How can you go wrong with that?

Who Invented The Frito Pie?

So how can there be any controversy?