And the second is a list of the all of the cooks that have been tied to Moon’s Lake House, even if they were not credited with the invention. The first is a look at other people and places that have been given credit for having a role in the discovery of the Potato Chip. 3 My work builds on and extends their efforts.Īfter the discussion of the first two versions I have included two other sections in this article. An extremely well written and researched study of the Potato Chip story was published in Western Folklore in 1983 “Social and Economic Contests of Folklore Variants: The Case of Potato Chip Legends, William S. This is not the first time someone has tried to do this. I will begin by focusing on two versions of the story that detail the discovery. If you’re interested in a more detailed discussion of what we know about know about the origins of the potato chip see my article “Saratoga Springs: Birthplace of the Potato Chip.” While that article focuses on what we do know, what follows is my attempt to look at the various legends and stories about the invention of the potato chip and to try and identify where the stories come from. 2 It was enough information to conclude that it was highly unlikely the stories of George Crum’s invention of the potato chip were anything more than a great story. This was four years before the George Crum’s invention was supposed to occur, and although it was at the same location, it was before Cary and Harriet Moon operated it as Moon’s Lake House. Stiles published The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt and he included the information that some version of special crispy fried potatoes was being enjoyed in Saratoga Springs in 1849.
While many writers were uncomfortable with George Crum stories and there were some facts that cast doubt on the story, no one had uncovered any facts that could totally dispel the legend. Historians are left with the story of the potato chip’s invention that is suspect, but Saratoga Springs role in making the chip famous is well documented and something that many residents are proud of. 1 Historians have found themselves in an extremely difficult situation since it is hard to imagine totally ignoring the story of the potato chip in Saratoga Springs when writing about the City’s past. Some writers have even expressed their discomfort with the facts by using disclaimers such as “it is related” retelling one of the stories. These stories survive and thrive despite the fact that almost everyone recognizes them as a tradition or legend rather than fact. If anyone wrote about George Crum and the potato chip before 1885 I have not been able to find it, so decades separated even the earliest version of the story from the time the discovery was supposed to have happened in 1853. Not surprisingly it doesn’t appear that the origin story of the potato chip held any interest until it appeared that Moon’s Lake House, the setting of most stories, might be sold approximately 30 years after Cary and Harriet Moon opened it. There are many more stories in the second category than there are in the first.
The stories fall into two categories, the first are the stories that have some details about when, where and how the potato chip was invented and the others are the stories where an individual is described as the inventor or originator of the potato chip without any details. While the two most popular versions of the story, both of which feature George Crum, are by far the most common, there are several variations that have appeared and disappeared over the years. Almost no topic in Saratoga Springs history has had more written about it than the origin of the potato chip.
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