Tater tots Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Tater tots

Course	Entrée or side dish, sometimes as part of a main course
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Ontario, Oregon
Created by	F. Nephi Grigg, and Golden Grigg (in 1953)
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Potato
Variations	Veggie tots
Food energy (per serving)	(serving size: 86 g) 160 kcal

Tater tots are yummy, bite-sized pieces of potato. They are shaped like small cylinders and cooked until crispy. People often eat them as a side dish with meals. The word "tater" is a short way of saying "potato." The name "Tater Tot" is a special brand name owned by a company called Ore-Ida. But many people use "tater tot" to talk about any similar potato snack. Ore-Ida also makes a coin-shaped version called "Crispy Crowns."

How Tater Tots Were Invented
Where People Eat Tater Tots
See also

How Tater Tots Were Invented

Tater tots were created in 1953 by two brothers, F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg. They were the founders of the Ore-Ida frozen food company. The brothers were looking for a way to use up leftover potato pieces. These were small bits of potato that were usually thrown away after making French fries.

From Leftovers to Loved Snack

The Griggs decided to chop up these leftover potato pieces. They added flour and special seasonings to the chopped potatoes. Then, they pushed this mixture through holes, like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. As the potato mixture came out, they sliced it into small, bite-sized pieces. This is how the first tater tots were made!

When Tater Tots First Appeared

Tater tots were first sold in stores in 1956. At first, not many people bought them. The company thought maybe the price was too low, so people didn't think they were special. When they raised the price, more people started buying them! By 1960, Ore-Ida was selling a lot of frozen potato products.

The Famous Name "Tater Tot"

The name "Tater Tot" is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida. This means only Ore-Ida can officially use that name for their product. Ore-Ida has been part of a bigger company called Kraft Heinz since 1965. Even though it's a brand name, "tater tot" is now often used to describe any similar potato snack. The name was chosen in the 1950s by someone from Ore-Ida's research team. They used a thesaurus to find a name that sounded good and started with the same letter.

How Many Tater Tots Do People Eat?

Today, people in America eat about 70 million pounds of Tater Tots every year. That's a huge amount, about 3.7 billion individual tots!

New Kinds of Tots

Since 2016, some food companies, like Green Giant, have started making "veggie tots." These are similar to tater tots but use other healthy vegetables. They might use broccoli or cauliflower instead of potatoes.

Where People Eat Tater Tots

Tater tots are popular in many parts of the world. They are enjoyed as a snack or a side dish.

Tater Tots in Asia

In South Korea, tater tots are called mat-gamja. They are a common snack sold in small shops. You can often find them served in a paper cup with a sweet and spicy sauce.

Tater Tots in Europe

In the United Kingdom, similar potato snacks are available. McCain Foods makes "Hash Brown Potato Bites," which are a lot like classic tater tots. Birds Eye also has "Hash Brown Potato Bites" in their "Chicken Shop" range.

Tater Tots in North America

In Canada, McCain Foods Limited sells their version of tater tots called "Tasti Taters."

In the Midwest states of the U.S., tater tot hotdish is a popular casserole dish. It often has tater tots, ground beef, and vegetables.

In the United States, tater tots are very common. You can find them in school cafeterias and other eating places. They are also sold in the frozen food sections of grocery stores. Some fast-food restaurants even offer them on their menus.

The supermarket chain Safeway sells its own brand of tater tots called "Tater Treats."
Cascadian Farm calls its product "Spud Puppies."
Sonic Drive-In has tater tots on their menu. You can get them with toppings like cheese or chili. Sonic also sells "Cheesy Tots," which are coin-shaped tots with melted cheese inside.
In the Pacific Northwest, some restaurants offer "totchos." These are like nachos but use tater tots instead of chips. They are covered in cheese sauce and other toppings. Totchos were invented by Jim Parker in Portland, Oregon.

Some Tex-Mex fast-food places also have seasoned tater tots:

Taco Time and Señor Frog's call them "Mexi-Fries."
Taco Bell used to sell them as "Mexi-Nuggets" and "Border Fries."
Taco Mayo in the Southwest offers round, disc-shaped tater tots called "Potato Locos."
Taco John's has coin-shaped tots called "Potato Olés."

Food places like Potato Corner and Papa John's also offer tater tots in some of their locations. Papa John's calls them "Potato Tots."

Tater Tots in Oceania

In Australia and New Zealand, these potato snacks are known by different names. People call them "potato gems," "potato royals," or "potato pom-poms." The Pizza Hut restaurants in New Zealand offer "Hash Bites" as a side dish. You can get them plain or with a dipping sauce called aioli.

Tater tots facts for kids

Contents