Crisps

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Crisps are a potato product popular in the UK and Ireland, referred to in the United States as potato chips.

Whilst invented in the United States in 1853, crisps were further developed in Ireland, where the Tayto firm developed the first method of creating flavoured crisps in 1953. Prior to this, the only flavour available was Salt, and this was provided in a small paper bag packaged with the crisps. The introduction of flavoured crisps turned a small, family run country business into the largest crisps manafacturer in Ireland, and added a new noun to the Hiberno-English language. The brand name "Tayto" is sometimes used as a generic term, as in, "buying some Tayto", in which case it means "buying some crisps", which can even refer to any bagged savoury snack.

The Tayto company also licensed their technology to the majority of the worlds crisp makers, and this ensured the company's profitability for many years.

Whilst crisps are traditionally made from potatoes, the term is often used for what would be better described as corn snacks – products made from corn starch. These are often sold alongside crisps, and even made by crisp companies, hence the misnaming.

The major vendors of crisps are, in Ireland, Tayto, King and Walkers, and in the United Kingdom, Walkers and Golden Wonder. However, in recent years, the American Pringles brand has taken some of the market in both countries.