Frito pie is a dish made with chili, cheese, and corn chips. Optional additions include salsa, refried beans, rice, mustard, and jalapeños, among others.
It is popular in the Southern and Southwestern United States; particularly the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
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Frito pie is typically made by combining Fritos or other corn chips with chili and cheese in a large pan and baking it as a casserole.[1] Because so many chips are used in the dish, they tend to be moistened but not soggy from the chili.
An alternative method uses a small, single-serving bag of corn chips, with chili or taco meat poured over the top. The combination is then often finished with grated cheese, onions, jalapeños, lettuce, and sour cream. This second method is sometimes called a Frito boat or a walking taco in the Midwestern United States, while in the Ohio Valley region, it is commonly called taco-in-a-bag. Frito pies are popular at sports venues, fundraisers, bingos, open houses, state fairs and street vendors. [2]
The exact origins of the Frito pie are unknown though there are several stories as to its beginnings.
One of the stories says that the Frito pie originated with Frito-Lay's founder Elmer Doolin's mother. It claims that Daisy Dean Doolin came up with the Frito pie sometime after creating the first Frito chip. Mentions of the Frito pie are nearly as old as the company itself which was founded in 1932.[3][4]
Another of the stories claims that true Frito pie originated only in the 1960s with Teresa Hernández, who worked at the F. W. Woolworth's lunch counter in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[4]