National Chip and Dip Day Date in the current year: March 23, 2024

The first dips that are known to food historians are olive oil and hummus. These two dips originated in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. Although these dips are centuries old, they are still popular today. Modern dips include guacamole, salsa, chile con queso, seven layer dip, salmorejo, benedictine spread, and many others. And if you have no time to make a special dip, you can always use simple mayo or ketchup.

Chips and dip gained popularity in the mid-1950s due to an advertising campaign launched by Lipton to promote their instant dehydrated French onion soup mix. The campaign encouraged consumers to mix the soup mix with sour cream to create a dip and serve it with potato chips or raw vegetables (crudités). The idea caught on, and people began to serve chips with other dips. In the late 1980s, tortilla or corn chips served with Mexican and Tex-Mex dips became especially popular.

To celebrate National Chip and Dip Day, invite your friends over, ask them to bring a bag of chips (any kind will do, be it potato, corn, tortilla, bean, vegetable, pita, or plantain chips) and a dip, and enjoy chips and dips together!