Fritos is an American brand of corn chips, originally a product of the Frito Corporation, which was founded in 1932 by Charles Elmer Doolin. It is now produced by the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo. Fritos are made by deep-frying extruded whole cornmeal, unlike the similar tortilla chips, which are made from cornmeal and use the nixtamalization process (known as masa). It is one of two brands representing Frito-Lay along with Lay's. The Fritos brand also appears on a line of cheese sauces and bean dip.
Origins
The recipe for the chips now known as Fritos was developed by Gustavo Olguin, a soccer coach from Oaxaca, Mexico, who lived for a time in San Antonio, Texas. In July 1932, wanting to return to Mexico, Olguin took out an advertisement in the San Antonio Express, offering his recipe and equipment for sale. Charles Elmer Doolin, a member of the family that owned San Antonio's Highland Park Confectionary, had recently visited a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed corn chips for the first time. Doolin responded to the advertisement, purchasing Olguin's recipe, his custom potato ricer, and his 19 established retail accounts for $100. The Doolin family gave the chips their name, Frito, the Spanish and Portuguese word for "fried", and founded the Frito Corporation in September 1932.