7 layer dip. If you haven’t had it, you’re probably an alien who is living undercover, Men In Black style. I have no idea where it came from, but the recipe is ingrained in all of our brains – and you’ll absolutely hear someone telling you their mum invented it at some point.
The recipe is simple. Refried beans. A layer of sour cream combined with packet taco mix. A layer of avo mixed with Philly cream cheese. Chopped tomatoes. Cheese. You might know it as 7 Layer Dip, or Mexican Layer Dip. But it’s the same thing.
It’s fucking delicious and also looks oddly chic in a bowl, so naturally it appears at every bloody pot luck dinner / housewarming / family lunch. I needed to know exactly who invented this monstrosity and where it originated. So I deep dived.
According to Wikipedia, that known source of all truth (lol), the first recipe for Mexican Layer Dip appeared in Family Circle magazine in 1981. However, the dip – known in the United States as 7 Layer Dip – was already popular in Texas in the late 70s. So it’s unlikely Family Circle invented this one.
The Family Circle recipe called it a “Tex-Mex Dip” which makes sense considering all Tex Mex cuisine I’ve had just tasted like refried beans and fire.
The OG recipe is wild. Instead of refried beans, the original ingredient for the first layer was some sort of canned jalapeno bean dip. I googled that and… my god.
The avo/Philly layer in a lot of overseas recipes is just guacamole, which seems far more normal to me. But back in the day it was seasoned mashed avo. So… guacamole then?
Instead of the sour cream + taco seasoning, that layer was sour cream and MAYONNAISE with taco seasoning. Absolutely no thank you.
There are, obviously, a lot of variations to the new recipe. For example, instead of chopped tomatoes some people use pico de gallo, or even salsa for more flavour. Some people forgo the grated cheese and use that scary liquid cheese business. There are vegan recipes. It’s evolved a lot.
Also it’s worth noting that while it’s called 7 Layer Dip in the States, I have never seen one with olives on it. Apparently that’s the sixth layer.
Some people even turn it into an actual meal with ground beef, lettuce and so on. But generally it arrives at someone’s house as a dip – tortilla chips is the usual dipping option, but obv cut up veg and whatever the fuck else are sometimes an accompaniment.
It’s likely everyone reckons their mum invented 7 Layer Dip because back when we were kids, mums loved a good cookbook recipe that they then burned into their brain. For example, I spent a long time thinking MY mum invented this curried chicken recipe, but it turns out it’s a classic Aussie staple.
In the end, my investigation has determined that Mexican Layer Dip, aka 7 Layer Dip, originated somewhere in Texas as part of the Tex Mex pandemonium.
So not your Aunt Shirl’s kitchen, then.
