“Potato wedges” has been cited in print since at least 1955 and 1958. As for how the potatoes became known as Jojos, it’s rumored that the name derived from the idea of “junk” because the parts of the potatoes were considered scraps until entrepreneurs realized they could be pressure fried and turned into crispy, delicious gold. "We'd tell people, you cut the potato into quarters, it takes the same time to cook as a two-and-a-quarter to two-and-a-half pound chicken—you can cook a complete fried meal at the same time.". Government Officials Propose to Bury the Toxic Waste Onsite. People started grabbing 'em and they wanted to know what they were. “They weren’t done in the middle. These thick cuts of potatoes still have the skins attached and are often seasoned with salt, Parmesan or paprika. 2 years ago. Their vision was to establish the first restaurant in Akron where patrons could satisfy their cravings for pizza and chicken at one place. North Portlanders Want a Contaminated Beach Turned Into a Park. But Nicewonger figures he and his father were responsible for a sizeable chunk of the jojos broasted in this town—including the old Flavor-Crisp pressure fryer they sold to the Reel M Inn. Bake the Jo Jo’s by placing a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. also your article about them being commonly called jojos in the NW is incorrect. They were called wedgies until some time in the late 90's. Eventually, they started cutting them in eights, and they were a whole lot better.”. Your email address will not be published. I rated 4 stars because I made some changes - we boiled the A variation in spelling and pronunciation is mojos, particularly in Western Canada, the Western United States and Canada's Yukon. Please support the city we loveby joining Friends of Willamette Week. Allow the wedges to sit with the coating for 15 minutes. "We started selling them in 1962," says Echtenkamp. He called them jojos. It’s what he told me—he just said it’s what came into his head.”. Since the internet doesn’t have all the answers and time machines don’t exist, there’s no 100-percent factual proof of who the inventor of Jojos is. He called them Jojos. 8 years ago. The company no longer makes the fryers, and locally, Nicewonger mostly sells the breading—Henny Penny makes a lot of the pressure fryers now sold locally. They also were called home fries, wedges, spuds or tater babies — and Shakey’s Pizza trademarked the term “mojo potatoes.” But none of this explains where the word came from. Terry says that it took his dad and Walter a few tries before turning the potatoes into crispy, mouthwatering perfection in 1963. Jojos are often found at the same deli counters or bars that serve fried chicken, because the pressure fryer is what gives jojos their shatter-crispy outer layer. The jojo is intertwined with a technological wonder of the modern age: the pressure fryer. Fight me. In the northwest they are usually a stand alone item served with ranch dressing as a dipping sauce. Jo-jos are simply unpeeled potato wedges thrown in the fryer, but the name may have derived from the idea of “junk,” because the potato scraps were considered worthless until restaurateurs … While there are Broaster-brand broasters in Portland at places like deep-Southeast dive bar Pink Feather and a couple other locations, a company called Flavor-Crisp really brought broasted chicken and jojos to Portland, distributed by a tiny family company in Vancouver, Wash., called Nicewonger, owned at the time by Paul's father, Nick. Calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber, cholesterol, and more for Potato Wedges (Deli Style, Seasoned - Great Value). The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. The name was invented here and is used only here—a country quirk of our nation's upper-left corner. Jillian Holness is a recent graduate of Kent State University’s School of Journalism. Jojos are a staple of old-school truck stops and bars all over Oregon and Washington, a word most locals will apply to any old potato cut lengthwise into wedges. Potato wedges, also called jojos, are a variation of french fries. We'll get more into the local lore as Jojo Month rolls on. The roots of the jojo go deep into the country's industrial midsection. After spending some time at pizza shops and bars, I learned that Jojos are potato wedges. Essentially, it's a pressure cooker filled with hot oil that allows meat to be cooked quickly, at high heat, while still staying juicy. "A true jojo is a potato wedge that's been breaded, pressure fried and spiced," says Paul Nicewonger. But Flavor-Crisp had a hit on their hands. Transfer seasoned potato wedges onto trivet in IP. Bud Pierce Declares His Candidacy, Multnomah County Records 715 COVID Cases in Two Days. Thoroughly wash potatoes, cut in half, and slice into The food equipment company Nicewonger Company is said to be the OGs of Jojos in the Northwest region. • In some regions of the United States, particularly Oregon, Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Utah, Northeast Ohio, and Upstate New York, a popular variation of potato wedges are known as jojos. Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, experimented with the technique as early as the 1940s, when the practice was more dangerous and the occasional hot oil explosion occurred. ", Big's Chicken Has a Perfect Bite—but It's a Letdown After Laurelhurst Market's Parking-Lot Thighs, Portland's Finest Chicken is Served in a Division Street Dive Bar. They're battered & broasted potato wedges. At the time, Nicewonger was distributing pressure fryers through the whole Portland metro area, selling the first ones to a chain of drive-in theaters in 1958. I don’t know about you, but I find these Jojo potato wedges so hard to resist. Yes, jojos are cut into thick pickle-shaped spears and seasoned, but it’s in the frying technique where jojos break from the potato wedge pack. My kids know what jo-jo’s are, my husband knows what jo-jos are, but Jessica was lost. Jojo's aren't just potato wedges. Where it started was they were at the national restaurant show in Chicago. “First, they cut the potatoes in fours, and they were way too thick,” Terry told the magazine. "A true jojo is a potato wedge that's been breaded, pressure fried and spiced," says Paul Nicewonger. He started cutting up potatoes at the restaurant show, threw ’em out for people to have,” Paul says. Learn how your comment data is processed. Matthew Korfhage has lived in St. Louis, Chicago, Munich and Bordeaux, but comes from Portland, where he makes guides to the city and writes about food, booze and books. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure. He likes the Oxford comma but can't use it in the newspaper. Rep. Earl Blumenauer Is All That Stands in the Way of an Applebee’s on Every Portland Corner, Oregon Governor Imposes Statewide “Freeze” to Curb COVID-19 Spread, Restricting Bars and Restaurants to Takeout Service, Prominent Anti-Vaccine Pediatrician Dr. Paul Thomas Has License Suspended by the Oregon Medical Board, Some Oregon Republicans Are Reluctant to Reveal Their Thanksgiving Dinner Plans, The 2022 Governor’s Race is Officially Underway: Dr. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. As its name suggests, they are large, often unpeeled wedges of potatoes that are either baked or fried. The guy was from Idaho russet potatoes in the next booth. They may be seasoned with salt, pepper and spices prior to cooking, to give a crispy flavored ‘skin’. These famous potato wedges are sold in many places. Sean Steele, the manager of the Swan Lake Senior Center (whose lunch menu generated this puzzle) is more direct. "A potato will clean up the oil real nice," says Nicewonger. The potatoes are perfectly crisp on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside. The need for strong, independent local journalism is more urgent than ever. "My father actually invented the jojo," Nicewonger says. It seems that not only Oregonians grew up with them: jojos have been spotted in Ohio, Montana, Washington, and very … "The guy that actually started the jojo by accident was Ed Nelson—that was back in 1961," Echtenkamp tells WW. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). For the most part, the seasonings don't effect reheating, although some, like Parmesan, may make the wedges burn faster. The jojo is intertwined with a technological wonder of the modern age. In the '80s, every city in Oregon had something called a jojo. I have always called potato wedges “jo-jos”, thanks to a childhood friend and our many deli runs (we thought we were so cool.) This patchwork of jojo states allowed any place where jojos were sold to believe they invented the word themselves—Nicewonger told us that perhaps only people in the Northwest used the term. Ask the man whose family is responsible for more of them locally than anyone. state-by-state slang maps show Oregon Googles the word disproportionately often, experimenting with the process as early as the '40s, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Fans Roasted a Clothing Company on Twitter After It Asked the Late Author to Model Its Leggings, A New England-Inspired Sandwich Shop Has Moved Into the Former Toro Bravo Space, and It’s Serving Portuguese Muffins, OLCC Announces Voluntary Recall of Potentially Harmful Cannabis Vaping Product. We'll send you a newsletter with what you need to know every week. 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