Tostitos


Tostitos is a Frito-Lay brand of tortilla chips and accompanying dips, especially salsa and queso. Frito-Lay first introduced the brand in some markets in 1977. Its nationwide rollout occurred in 1981. The bowl-shaped variety of Tostitos Scoops was launched in June 2001.
The term tostito is a contraction of Spanish tostadito, which is a diminutive of tostado. This chip takes inspiration from a traditional Mexican snack known as totopo.

Varieties

There are many varieties of Tostitos chips:
  • Tostitos 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 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 for a milder flavor for dipping with a broader range of dips beyond Mexican-style dips.
  • 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, 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 - an organic tortilla chip that advertises "no artificial ingredients". Available in blue corn and yellow corn.
  • Tostitos 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 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 in addition to herbs, cheese and other seasonings. Frito-Lay's web site states that they use enzymes from pigs in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". The presence of pig-derived ingredients makes them unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, as well as non-kosher and non-halal.

Sports

From 1996 to 2014, Tostitos was the title sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl, one of the four American college football games that now make up the Bowl Championship Series, the former unofficial national championship of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona through 2006 before moving to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in 2006. On June 31, 2011, 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 2001 season, Tostitos was the title sponsor for the BCS National Championship Game, 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.