French onion dip or California dip is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

dip typically made with a base of

sour cream Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, wh ...

and flavored with minced

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

, and usually served with

potato chips A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

chips and dip Chips and dip is a dish consisting of chips (crisps) served with dips. Chips used include potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, bean chips, vegetable chips, pita chips, plantain chips and others. Crackers are also sometimes used, as are ...

. It is also served with snack crackers and

crudités Crudités (, ) are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce. Examples of crudités include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips ...

. It is not

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

; it is called "French" because it is made with dehydrated

French onion soup French onion soup (French: ''soupe à l’oignon'' ) is a soup usually based on meat stock and onions, and often served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of bread covered with cheese floating on top. Ancient in origin, the dish under ...

mix.

History

French onion dip, made of sour cream and instant onion soup, was created by an unknown cook in Los Angeles in 1954. The recipe spread quickly and was printed in a local newspaper.Sherri Machlin, ed., ''American Food by the Decades'', p. 136 The

Lipton Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, who fo ...

company promoted this mixture on the television show ''

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') was an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting ''Arthur Godf ...

'' in 1955, and early on, it was known as "Lipton California Dip", but soon simply as "California Dip".Potato Chip Institute International, ''Potato Chipper'', ''14-15'
''passim''
"As you know, this dip is ordinarily called the Lipton California Dip." A

advertising campaign promoted it on television and in supermarkets. The recipe was added to the Lipton instant onion soup package in 1958. About the same time, a similar recipe, but made with

reduced cream Reduced cream is a New Zealand canned dairy product. It was originally sold by Nestlé, but other companies in New Zealand have created their own reduced cream products. Typical ingredients are skimmed milk, cream, and thickener 401 (sodium algi ...

, was created in New Zealand and became very popular. The name "French onion dip" began to be used in the 1960s, and became more popular than "California dip" in the 1990s.

Preparation

The original recipe consisted of sour cream and dehydrated onion soup mix. There are now many

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

, pre-mixed versions, such as Ruffles French Onion Dip and

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-fla ...

French Onion Dip. Commercially prepared products include additional ingredients to thicken, stabilize, and preserve the mixture.How to Make French Onion Dip From Scratch - ''Huffington Post''
/ref> Home-made versions may use

caramelized Caramelization is a process of browning of sugar used extensively in cooking for the resulting sweet nutty flavor and brown color. The brown colors are produced by three groups of polymers: caramelans (C24H36O18), caramelens (C36H50O25), and ca ...

onions.

Serving

French onion dip is often served at parties and as a "classic holiday party offering". It has also been described as "an American classic". It may also be used on other foods, such as hamburgers, sandwiches and tacos.

Variants

Alternative bases include

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (; ), colloquially referred to as "mayo" , is a thick, cold, and creamy sauce or dressing commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, composed salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various other sauces, such as tartar ...

''Fix it quick comfort food cookbook'' - Publications International, Ltd
p. 16. and

cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...

. Common flavorings are salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, garlic powder, parsley, chives, Worcestershire sauce and others.

History

Preparation

Serving

Variants

See also

References

Further reading