Tostitos is a
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay, Inc. (; ) is an American food company that manufactures, markets, and sells snack foods. It began in the early 1930s as two companies, Fritos, the Frito Company and Lay's, H.W. Lay & Company, that merged in 1961. Frito-Lay itself merg ...
brand of
tortilla chip
A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortilla, which are cut into triangles and then fried or baked (alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of Nixtamalization , nixtamali ...
s and
accompanying dips, especially
salsa and
queso.
Varieties
There are many varieties of Tostitos chips:
* Tostitos ''Gold'' (and bite size ''Gold'') - a thicker and larger version of the original, advertised to hold the thickest of dips; the bite size chips are smaller. Initially very popular, this variety has been quietly discontinued.
* Tostitos ''Hint Of Guacamole'' - a version with
guacamole
Guacamole (; informally shortened to ''guac'' in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisin ...
flavoring added.
* Tostitos ''Hint of Jalapeño'' - a version with jalapeño pepper flavoring added.
* Tostitos ''Hint of Lime'' - a version with lime flavoring added.
* Tostitos ''Hint of Pepper Jack'' - a version with pepper jack cheese flavoring added.
* Tostitos ''Spicy Quesadilla'' - artificial cheese and other spicy flavors added.
* Tostitos ''Hint of Multigrain'' - a version with whole wheats and grains flavoring added.
* Tostitos ''Flour Tortilla'' - made with flour (instead of just corn) for a milder flavor for dipping with a broader range of dips beyond Mexican-style dips (salsa, queso/cheese dip, etc.).
* Tostitos ''Restaurant Style'' - A much larger triangular style chip, similar to what is used in traditional Mexican-style restaurants. Also available in ''Light'', advertised to be made with
olestra
Olestra (also known by its brand name Olean) is a fat substitute food additive that adds no metabolizable calories to products. It has been used in the preparation of otherwise high-fat foods, thereby lowering or eliminating their fat content. ...
, reducing fat and calories.
* Tostitos ''Scoops'' - a tortilla chip molded into the shape of a bowl that allows for easier scooping of salsas and dips. Also available in ''Baked'', advertised to have half the fat of normal tostitos scoops. Recently released "Hint Of Jalapeño".
* Tostitos ''Natural'' (or "''Simply'' Tostitos") - an organic tortilla chip that advertises "no artificial ingredients". Available in
blue corn
Blue corn (also known as Hopi maize, Yoeme Blue, Tarahumara Maiz Azul, and Rio Grande Blue) is a group of several closely related varieties of flint corn grown in Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and the Southeastern United States. It i ...
and yellow corn.
* Tostitos ''Rounds'' (and bite size ''Rounds'') - made to be flat and cut in a circle; the bite size chips are smaller.
* Tostitos ''Rolls'' - introduced this party staple, a corn tortilla chip, and tube-like shape and hearty crunch.
* Tostitos ''Cantina'' - introduced in 2012, a style of restaurant-inspired chips that targets the
Millennial
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...
generation. There are several varieties of Cantina chips, including Cantina Thin & Crispy, and Cantina Traditional.
*Tostitos ''Salsa Verde''
Some Frito-Lay brand seasoned products, including some flavors of Tostitos, contain pork
enzymes
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...
in addition to herbs, cheese and other seasonings. Frito-Lay's web site states that they use enzymes from pigs (porcine enzymes) in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". The presence of pig-derived ingredients makes them unsuitable for
vegetarians
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. A person who pra ...
,
vegans
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...
, as well as non-
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
and non-''
halal
''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...
''.
Sports

From 1995 to 2014, Tostitos was the title sponsor of the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971.
From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...
, one of the four American college football games that would make up the
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a college football post-season selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of America ...
, the former unofficial national championship of the Division I
Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
(formerly Division I-A). The game was played at
Sun Devil Stadium
Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU). It is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Big 12 Conference. The stadium o ...
in
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...
through 2006 before moving to
University of Phoenix Stadium
State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Sun Devi ...
in
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...
in 2007. On June 9, 2014, Frito-Lay withdrew their sponsorship of the Fiesta Bowl citing the higher costs of sponsoring the event through the new College Football Playoff system.
Following the 2006 season, Tostitos was the title sponsor for the
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four des ...
, a new game matching the number one and two teams in the final BCS standings. The title sponsor for the championship game rotated depending upon which site is hosting the 1 vs. 2 matchup.
See also
*
Chips and dip
*
Walking taco, also known as Tostilocos, after Tostitos; street food from
Tijuana
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Frito Lay
Frito-Lay brands
Brand name snack foods
Products introduced in 1979