From Wikipedia (not always 100% reliable):
"French onion dip, made of sour cream and instant onion soup, was created by an unknown French cook in Los Angeles in 1954. The recipe spread quickly and was printed in a local newspaper.[6][5] The Lipton company promoted this mixture on the television show Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1955, and early on, it was known as “Lipton California Dip”, but soon simply as “California Dip”.[1] A Lipton advertising campaign promoted it on television and in supermarkets.[7][8] The recipe was added to the Lipton instant onion soup package in 1958.[9]
About the same time, a similar recipe, but made with reduced cream, was created in New Zealand and became very popular.[10][11]
The name “French onion dip” began to be used in the 1960s, and became more popular than “California dip” in the 1990s.[12]"
I posted this because I think it’s funny that something very common and commercial that’s been around since the 1950s is becoming artisanal and trendy. But I bet some of the versions are good too.
