Frito Pie: A Texas Tradition!

May in Texas...wildflowers scattered about, sunshine and breezes, mild days scattered among the hot ones. Sunday was one of those perfect, mild Texas days and the Texas Hill Country was gleaming after a nourishing rain...water so sacred during this time of drought!


On the porch of the historic Wimberley Cafe in Wimberley, Texas...basking in my springtime bliss...I spotted it staring up at me from the menu, a true Texas icon, the Frito Pie! I had never tried it so I ordered one, along with another Texas staple...sweet iced tea.

Soon, I was looking down at the concoction you see on the right. The "muffinette" on the right side of the bowl was made with sweet potatoes and spices. It looked safe, so I began with it as I admired the fritoes and gained enough confidence to try their chili coverlet.


The taste of the Frito Pie was actually pretty good. It is quick and easy to make...just put a layer of fritoes in a bowl, then pour canned chili over them, top it with cheese, then pop it in the oven to warm it up a bit. I was pretty impressed with my delicacy. It was a bit heavy on my stomach...but my taste buds were delighted. Of course, my taste buds are always delighted by food that punishes my body with a gazillion calories and artery clogging trans-fats! They are called my taste buds, but they are definitely not always my buddies!


This morning at work when I shared my Frito Pie story, I found out that Frito Pies are common at sports events here in Texas. The vendor opens a small bag of fritoes, then pours canned chili over the fritoes and tops it off with cheese, and maybe onions or jalapenos. You are given a small plastic spoon, and you have a simple, no muss, no fuss snack to keep your mouth and stomach happy as your favorite football team struggles in the field below.

Well, I had to see one of these snacks for myself, so I googled "Frito Pie" and found on Wikipedia this lovely image of one served in a bag. 


As I investigated further, I found out that Fritoes were "invented" in San Antonio, Texas. National Public Radio has an excellent post called "The Birth of the Frito" from 2007. It has delightful historical images of Frito advertisements, recipes, and the "Frito Fleet." You can even listen to "The Frito Twist!"