The Hirshon Ultimate Onion Herb and Bacon Dip

My Citizens, it would seem at first glance that we are interrupting the week of “Divine Swine” whole hog recipes – but not so, if you look a bit deeper and think along the warped punning mind of the equally Divine TFD!  After all, what is the nickname for a football but a “pigskin”? 😉

With that said, we continue honoring the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig in our own unique way!

Dips have been made for thousands of years. One of the earliest dips to become popular long before chips ever came into existence is the Greek tzatziki, a combination of yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, salt and olive oil. Greeks still eat tzatziki with meats and bread, but since the invention of the potato chip in the mid-19th century, it and many variations of it have also become popular chip dips. Guacamole, yet another iconic chip dip, that was first made by the Aztecs.

The potato chip itself is believed to have been invented in 1853 by a cook named George Crum whose potato wedges were repeatedly sent back to the kitchen by an unsatisfied customer who claimed they were too thick. Crum eventually became irritated and decided to serve the man potato slices so thin he could see through them fried to a crisp, topped with a rather excessive amount of salt. Surprisingly, the customer absolutely loved them, and chips were born. At first, chips were made only in restaurants, but by the 20th they began to be mass-produced.

As noted on the excellent blog thechoppingblock.com, where the ancient history and etymology of the word ‘dip’ is explained:

Date of Origin Old English [OE]

Like deep, dip comes ultimately from a Germanic base *d(e)up- ‘deep, hollow’. The derived verb, *dupjan, produced Old English dyppan, ancestor of modern English dip. It originally meant quite specifically ‘immerse’ in Old English, sometimes with reference to baptism; the sense ‘incline downwards’ is a 17th-century development.

French Onion as a flavor emerged in the 17th century. Sour cream was invented in the U.S. between 1815 – 1825. Somewhere around there, the first dip as we know it must have come into being. No one has laid claim to that distinction, but if we were around then, we surely would have!

Many cuisine-related sources claim that hummus is one of the oldest known prepared foods in the Middle East. Some say it was made in the 18th-century Damascus while others claimed that it was first prepared in the 12th century by Saladin. Hummus is a dip made from chickpeas and is mixed with garlic, vinegar and sometimes lemon juice. The Egyptians ate chickpeas, so maybe even Moses ate “dip”!

1.  The potato chip was first invented in 1853.
2.  Dips for chips first become popular in the 1950s serving as finger food.
3.  Choices of chips to go with tips can be tortilla chips, potato chips, or pretzels.
4.  It takes 10,000 pounds of potatoes to make 3,500 pounds of potato chips.

Few things excite the soul of the sports fan more than the Super Bowl – even if you’re not a fan, the commercials alone justify watching this epic battle (even if the Saints were robbed of their rightful place in the football firmament this year).

What could be a more enjoyable way to watch the ultimate game than with the ULTIMATE party dip?

As is becoming traditional for Super Bowl Sunday, therefore and herein BEHOLD in ecstasy my latest dip recipe – a way to recreate the classic flavors of packaged dip mix but made fresh.

What is lacking are the ludicrous amounts of salt, MSG, anti-caking ingredients and mutagenic compounds that are part of the usual package of dip mix.

I don’t miss any of them – and this is one awesome way to enjoy the Super Bowl with friends and family!

I have every confidence you will LOVE this recipe, Citizen!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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