Funyuns is the
brand name
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
of an
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 ...
-flavored
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
snack introduced in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1969, and invented by
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 ...
employee George Wade Bigner. Funyuns consist primarily of
cornmeal, ring-shaped using an
extrusion
Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex c ...
process, representing the shape of fried
onion ring
An onion ring, also called a French fried onion ring, is a form of appetizer or side dish in British cuisine, British and American cuisine. They generally consist of a cross-sectional "ring" of onion dipped in Batter (cooking), batter or bread ...
s. A
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
and onion mix gives them their flavor. They are a product of
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...
's
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 ...
company. In
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Funyuns are sold under the name "Cebolitos".
History
They were named "Funyuns" by
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...
professor and
copywriter Jim Albright after it was discovered that the first choice of name for the product, "OnYums," was a registered trademark of
Rudolph Foods
Rudolph Foods is a Lima, Ohio-based producer of snack food, in particular pork rinds and cracklings. The company has six facilities in the United States and three international ventures. It was founded in 1955 by John Rudolph.
Brands and products ...
. Initial television advertising for the snack featured a variation of
Susan Christie
Susan Christie is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known for a minor hit folk song “I Love Onions” (1966) and for her critically acclaimed solo psychedelic-folk album ''Paint A Lady'' (2006).
Early career
A gif ...
's 1966 song, "I Love Onions."
Over the years, several recipes have come out that use Funyuns as an ingredient, including one using the product as a replacement for fried onions in
green bean casserole
Green bean casserole is an American baked dish consisting primarily of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and Fried_onion#Crisp_fried_onions, french fried onions.
It is a popular side dish for Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and has ...
and using the crushed snack food as a
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
turkey coating.
[ ]
Flavors
* Original Funyuns (1969–present)
*
Wasabi
Wasabi (Japanese: , , or , ; ''Eutrema japonicum'' or ''Wasabia japonica'') or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian ...
(2001–2002)
* Flamin' Hot (2007–present)
* Chilli & Limón (2014–2018)
* Steakhouse Onion (2015–2018)
See also
*
List of brand name snack foods
This is a list of brand name snack foods. A snack or snack food is a portion of food often smaller than a regular meal, generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from ...
References
External links
*
"Funyun Philosophy" cooking tips inspired by Funyuns by Charles Lam, Feb 22, 2011
{{PepsiCo
Products introduced in 1969
Brand name snack foods
Frito-Lay brands
Onion-based foods