Doritos vs. Tostitos—what’s the better snack?

A war between types of snacks is one that we foodies take very, very seriously, as we should. One such war that’s been waging for years has been the battle between Doritos and Tostitos. Who’s got the better nacho?

Doritos showed up on the snacking scene in 1964 and subsequently all over the nation in 1966. That’s a long time ago for sure and since the chip’s inception, many have enjoyed its bold, sharp and by now very familiar taste. No nacho comes close, many would argue.

The original Doritos were actually made at Disneyland in the sixties in a completely different form (seasonings were added to the fried tortilla chips), specifically at Casa de Fritos (Anaheim, California), according to Wikipedia.

Well, they were so good, they got noticed by then vice president of marketing of Frito-Lay, Arch West. Since that time, Doritos have grown and grown and many flavors have been released—some successful, some not so successful.

The rest, as the old cliché goes, is in the history books, or on Wikipedia of course. Today we’ll be looking at the original nacho cheese Doritos for the purpose of this debate. Nothing beats a classic and nothing beats the original.

Who makes the better chip—Doritos or Tostitos? What’s the better snack?

Just like Doritos, Tostitos is a brand under the umbrella of Frito-Lay. The inception of the tortilla chip goes back ages however, as the Mexican’s have been frying soft tortilla for ages, thus making crispy chips for dipping, but the Frito-Lay company first released these specific chips in 1979, so they’re slightly younger than their counterpart, the ever-popular Doritos.

The difference here is their simplicity, perhaps. Tostitos are essentially salted corn chips, or fried tortilla chips, but many prefer that simpler taste. Besides, they make for the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of dipping sauces.

Yet some would argue that within that positive lies a very strong negative, and what may prove to be the chip’s demise in this here debate. Cue the dramatic mystery theater music now, please maestro…

So we’ve covered the necessary history, but the answer to the posed question depends on taste and personal preference. Doesn’t it always? Indeed it does, especially when food is involved…which happens often. Foodies are constantly at war, in favor of one trend, snack or food item or another. It’s what makes this foodie realm of ours go round, I suppose.

With Doritos, the obvious reason it’s a great snack is that you don’t really need anything else. You can buy a bag at your local corner store, sit on a park bench and watch the seagulls (perhaps even share a few with the critters if you’re so inclined, as I’m sure they’d appreciate it), and essentially go to town until you’ve hit the bottom of the bag (it’s rather lonely down there and a sad place to be but at least you enjoyed the wondrous snack).

The Doritos experience in a nutshell: No dipping sauces, no mess (well, except for the powdered cheese on your fingers, but I’m sure you can do away with that without much fuss). So simplicity is the thing here. But is that enough to win the argument?

With Tostitos, yes, you can totally open up a bag and eat them plain and simple, and without dipping sauces of course. But, and there is a but…many in this situation would often find themselves wanting for more. After you’ve had the twentieth chip, your mind is likely to wander to the realm of make-believe:

“Man…wouldn’t some salsa be good on these?” And “Dude…wouldn’t some cheese be good melted on top of these? And perhaps my favorite and the most obvious issue with plain Tostitos: “There’s just something missing.”

Indeed there is, dear readers. At the end of the day, Tostitos, or any nacho at all, is nothing without melted cheddar cheese on top. In my opinion, you can leave out the salsa as well, although it is more than welcome next to my platter of Tostitos with melted cheese atop.

But in the end, the epic taste of fried tortilla corn chips and melted or even crispy cheese is delicious, and if they tasted like that always and were somehow served that way every time, right in the bag, they’d beat Doritos any day of the week, month and year, folks.

But because in their natural form, the Tostitos don’t have cheese on them, the big winner today will be Doritos.

How about you, dear readers? Which is the better snack? Let us know.