5 Foods That Have Become Flavors

When is a food not a food? When its flavor is distilled down and its essence is used to give flavor to other foods. From potato chips to taco shells, these foods have entered the pantheon of "flavors," and even though it's nearly impossible to replicate the true flavor of something, food scientists are certainly trying.

Pizza
Pizza is the original food flavoring, lending its flavor to everything from Combos to Pringles, Goldfish, and even Lance cheese crackers.

Taco
"Taco" flavoring usually just implies a hint of cumin and maybe some artificial "beef" flavor, but this flavor has showed up on several products, most famously Doritos.

Buffalo Sauce
Buffalo sauce and chicken is a match made in heaven, but lots of other foods have co-opted the flavoring, including Pretzel Crisps, Goldfish, pretzel pieces, and, once again, Lance crackers.

Ranch
Ranch dressing best lends its flavor to salads, but it also works great on Doritos, Pringles, and tacos made with a Cool Ranch Doritos shell.

Baked Potato
Baked potato is an obvious flavoring choice for potato chip companies, because (obviously) chips are made from potatoes, and the flavors of bacon, chives, and sour cream are so easy to emulate with flavoring powder.