Trail mix
Lightweight, nutritious snack mix for hiking.
Trail mix is a snack blend designed for hiking, usually made from granola, dried fruit, nuts, and occasionally candy. Its popularity on trails comes from being lightweight, easy to pack, and nutritious: the carbohydrates in dried fruit or granola offer a quick energy boost, while the fatty nuts provide longer-lasting energy. The specific combination of fatty nuts, raisins, and chocolate as a trail snack goes back at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart suggested it in his camping guide *Camping and Woodcraft*.
In New Zealand and Australia, trail mix is called scroggin. In North America, campers and hikers often use the term gorp, which some say stands for "good ol' raisins and peanuts"; the *Oxford English Dictionary* notes a 1913 reference to the verb *gorp*, meaning "to eat greedily." In Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and several other European countries, it is known as student fodder, student oats, or student mix, and usually does not contain chocolate.
Common ingredients include granola, breakfast cereals like Chex, carob chips, chocolate candies (such as chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and M&M's), peanut butter chips, dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, apricots, apples, banana chips, sultanas, or candied orange peel), crystallized ginger, yogurt chips and yogurt-covered fruits, marshmallows, nuts (almonds or cashews), legumes (peanuts or baked soybeans), pretzels, rye chips, seeds (pumpkin or sunflower), and shredded coconut.
Popular pre-made or homemade varieties include: Asia mix (or Zen mix) with peanuts, sesame sticks, rice crackers, and soybeans; Cape Cod trail mix (or Northeastern) with almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries; Hawaiian trail mix (or Tropical) with peanuts, almonds, pineapple, mango, banana chips, coconut, and cashews; Mexican trail mix (or Sweet and Spicy) with mango, sunflower seeds, pepitas, raisins, and chili powder; Monster trail mix (or Peanut Butter and Chocolate) with peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, peanuts, M&M's, and sometimes raisins or cranberries; Omega-3 trail mix with cashews, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon apple pieces; and Santa Fe trail mix (or Southwestern/Hatch) with toasted corn, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and New Mexico chile powder.
See also: Bombay mix.
- known_for
- Snack mix for hiking, combining granola, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes candy
- earliest_recorded_recommendation
- 1910s by Horace Kephart in Camping and Woodcraft
- alternative_names
- Scroggin (New Zealand and Australia), Gorp (North America), Student fodder (Europe)
- common_ingredients
- Granola, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate candies, seeds, pretzels, shredded coconut
Lore & Background
Trail mix is a type of snack mix, typically a combination of granola, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes candy, developed as food to be taken along on hikes. It is a popular snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick energy boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit or granola, and sustained energy from fatty nuts. The combination of fatty nuts, raisins and chocolate as a trail snack dates at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart recommended it in his popular camping guide Camping and Woodcraft.
Reader's Guide
Trail mix has become a staple for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts due to its portability and nutritional balance. Its origins trace to the early 20th century, with Horace Kephart's camping guide promoting the combination of nuts, raisins, and chocolate. The snack is known by various regional names: scroggin in New Zealand and Australia, gorp in North America (possibly an acronym for 'good ol' raisins and peanuts'), and student fodder in several European countries, where it typically omits chocolate. Common ingredients include granola, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and sometimes candy or yogurt chips. Popular commercial varieties include Asian, Cape Cod, Hawaiian, Mexican, Monster, Omega-3, and Santa Fe mixes. Trail mix remains a versatile, energy-dense food for outdoor activities.
Did You Know?
- In New Zealand and Australia, trail mix is known as scroggin.
- The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1913 reference to the verb gorp, meaning 'to eat greedily'.
- In Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia, trail mix is called student fodder and usually does not include chocolate.
- The combination of fatty nuts, raisins and chocolate as a trail snack dates at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart recommended it.
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