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The Secret History Behind Cheetos Will Shake You To Your Core

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When it comes to the wonderful world of snacks, Cheetos are as classic as it gets. It’s basically a household name — especially if you have kids — and you can literally find them everywhere. But have you ever thought about how Cheetos were invented? After all, when it comes to popular snacks like Doritos and Pringles, it’s easy to overlook their complex and interesting backgrounds. The history of Cheetos is no exception.

For starters, the U.S. military played a role in the invention of Cheetos, according to an article published on Wired. The piece was written by Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, the author of Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat, a fascinating book that looks into the military’s historical impact on the food that we know and love today. And yes, that includes Cheetos.

In the early 1900s, dairymen figured out how to use emulsifying salts to make processed cheese. When combined with melted cheese, the salts altered casein, the main protein in milk. The result? A processed cheese that could withstand high temperatures and last for a long time, making it ideal for military rations.

To top things off, processed cheese could be made with the rinds and leftover bits from cheese cutting wheels, so it didn’t cost a lot of money to make.

This is where the military comes in. During World War I, they ordered 25 million quarter-pound tins of processed cheese to use as rations. (Don’t worry, there were also foods like dehydrated fruits and veggies.) Then, by World War II, the military bought more than 100 million pounds, plus 500 thousand pounds of cheese spread. They also funded research on the production of dehydrated cheese.

But after World War II, the military was left with a lot of cheese powder. So, food manufacturers like the Frito Company bought the extra powder and began to use it in their products. This included the release of Cheetos in 1948… and the rest is history!