Asia's unique snack chips

[brianlkennedy]

It turns out that Wandering Ghosts in Taiwan really, really, really like Doritos brand tortilla chips. It was a fact that surprised me as a scholar of Taiwanese Daoism, but it must be true.

And how I know it is true is because the Pepsi Company, which owns Doritos here in Taiwan, put out a special Ghost Month package of Doritos that is to be used as a offering to the Hungry Ghost which wander out of Hades during this month.

And it turns out that Hungry Ghost are hungry; each Doritos package contains 6 bags of Doritos. And among the different flavors that Taiwanese Hungry Ghost seem to fancy are such local forms of Doritos as “Street Vendor Sausage Flavor” No fooling, that is what the flavor is called. “Street Vendor Sausage Flavor Doritos” are however an “acquired taste”. I have been slowly working my way through a bag and with every chip I can not quite decide whether to retch or whether they are in fact delicious. I will grant them this, they do mimic the true Taiwanese taste of street vendor BBQ sausages. That may, or may not, be a good thing.

By way of background, Ghost Month (鬼月) which is a very important period for traditional Chinese Daoist and Buddhist-it is one of the traditional events that both Daoist and Buddhist participate in, albeit in slightly different ways.

Ghost month, like all traditional holidays/festivals in Chinese culture, is set on the Lunar calendar. The basic ten second version of what is going on is, on the 7th month the gates of hell are opened. Ghost then can roam the earth and often visit their families. The families present offerings; which can be food, drink, money or other things the deceased ancestors may need in hell.

Including Doritos! I will shoot some photos of the Ghost Month Doritos and post them. Well, it turns out Gene was right; Doritos are truly the favorite food of all Supernatural Beings.

Tortilla Brian

[SimonM]

China had all sorts of wierd potato chip flavours. These included:

Cooked Ham
Prawn
Lemon Thai
Kimchi (those were good)
Barbecued Chicken Wings

of course China is also home of the candied cuttlefish so some of the wierd chip flavours seem downright normal when compared to local treats.

[GeneChing]

Not quite Doritos, but relevant IMO.

Pepsi and Chicken Flavor Potato Chips Released in China
Dec 18, 2012 by Master Blaster

Living in Japan, it’s easy to miss the range of potato chip flavors available in one’s home country. Out here, the only flavors you can expect to get are salt, and consume (basically BBQ) with the occasional green onion flavor.

However, to make up for it, the chip companies occasionally come out with unique super flavors that rock our worlds for a month and disappear; flavours like Truffles or Sugar Butter.

Never shy of a challenge, though, since last August China has had a new hit on its hands with a new local flavor that can’t help but surprise: Pepsi & Chicken!

Much like this year’s special Salty Watermelon Pepsi in Japan, China’s blend of cola and chicken flavors has opened this writer up to a wide world of cuisine he never knew before.

According to PepsiCo China’s Chief Marketing Officer Richard Lee, chicken boiled in cola is a very popular dish in China, so they were confident to bring this flavor into the market.

After a quick Internet search, sure enough there were hundreds of thousands of recipes from around the globe for cola boiled, cola fried, or cola marinated chicken. After getting over the initial weirdness and health concerns, it does make sense for chicken to be complimented by the sweet yet heavy taste of cola.

If you’re wondering “why Pepsi and not Coke”, the chips are Lay’s brand made by Frito-Lay which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Very clever, we’re sure you’d agree!

The makers describe the taste as the perfect blend of sweet cola and spicy pepper, which leaves a delightful aftertaste. Public reaction on social networks in China has been mixed, however.

Perhaps China and Japan could set up some sort of cultural chips exchange. We could trade some Wasabi Doritos for Pepsi and Chicken Lay’s. It could be a healing experience for two countries that have had a rocky 2012…

In the meantime, I think I have my Christmas dinner sorted now. A big thanks Frito-Lay Inc.: a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo Incorporated!

[GeneChing]

Imma hijack dishere thread for all my weird chip news.

Sriracha potato chips? Lay's offers three flavors for fan vote

By Ricardo Lopez
February 8, 2013, 11:42 a.m.

Three new Lay's potato chip flavors will hit grocery stores next week.

Only one will prevail and be added as a new chip flavor to Lay's product line.

Frito-Lay launched a promotional campaign titled "Do Us a Flavor," in which consumers nominated various flavors.

A panel of food experts waded through 3.8 million submissions and culled a list of 20, that's now been winnowed down to 3: Sriracha, Chicken & Waffles and Garlic Cheesy Bread.

The new flavors are expected to be in stores Tuesday, and fans will be able to vote for their favorite one through Twitter, text message and Lay's Facebook page.

The person who submitted the winning flavor will win $1 million or 1% of the chip's 2013 sales, whichever is more, the company said.

The interactive contest follows a similar move by Hasbro Inc. to replace certain Monopoly game pieces after fans voted. A cat token will now replace the game board's iron statuette.

Tough call. I'm torn between Sriracha and Garlic Cheesy Bread. I don't understand Chicken & Waffles - is that a southern comfort food or something?

[GeneChing]

****, Asia gets all the awesome flavors...

Freaky Frankenfoods: Lay's Spicy Green Peppercorn Fish Flavor

Shanghai is filled with fusion foods geared towards the local palate with some proving appetizing, while others are pants-crappingly terrifying. Throughout this Halloween season, we're trying the most hyped (okay, hyped by laowai) Frankenfoods to see if they taste as scary as people claim.

Unlike many Lay's flavors, spicy green peppercorn fish isn't really terrifying in and of itself - on the contrary, it's something I really enjoy in its true form. But as Lay's has proved, chip interpretations of such complex dishes can be disastrous. And condensing something as multilayered as fish with green peppercorns into a chip seemed akin to successfully playing Beethoven's 9th on the washboard.

Fortunately, they successfully play Beethoven's 9th on the washboard. You open the bag and you're met with a hot, nutty blast of heat and spice that makes you tear up as if you were holding your face over a fish hotpot. When you crunch a chip, you immediately feel the token peppercorn tingle on your lips, which evokes pressing a vibrating cellphone against them. And the spiciness is no less atomic than you'd expect.

The only missing component seemed to be the fish, which tasted so faint it could've been in my head. However, the strong backup chorus of chilies and peppercorns makes it easy to imagine. Lay's Spicy Green Peppercorn Fish Flavor is the closest thing to the real thing since the Numb and Spicy Hotpot Flavor - so close that if you don't like it, you might not enjoy a lot of Sichuan dishes.

Though are we the only ones who think it a bit ominous that Lay's seems to tackle more complex flavors every year, as if they're trying to get a monopoly on all the world's food. It starts with green peppercorn and fish chips, moves up to chips flavored like whole Thanksgiving dinners, then twenty-course French wine-pairing menus. Finally, in some dystopian future, before you get into your cryogenic sleep pod, you pop a Lay's chip and don't need any food for a whole month.

You can find Lay's Spicy Peppercorn Fish Flavor at Tesco and Carrefour for 5-7RMB.

[GeneChing]

Lay's Potato chips has effectively hijacked this thread from Doritos. This is now just a general chip thread.

REVIEW: Lay’s Chinese Szechuan Chicken Potato Chips
August 1, 2016 Marvo 5 Rating, Chips, Lay's, Reviews



I’ve had a number of Lay’s potato chip flavors from China, like Sweet Barbecue Pork, Fresh Shrimp, Fun Wasabi Shrimp, Spicy Green Peppercorn Fish, and Numb & Spicy Hot Pot. They all had the same vibe to them. They were spicy, sweet, and unusual to the point where I’m not sure if I liked them.

I can say the same about Lay’s Chinese Szechuan Chicken Potato Chips.

I imagine there are some of you who aren’t familiar with Szechuan Chicken because it’s not a dish that’s ever been available at Panda Express (the chain did have a Szechuan fish dish). According to the internet, Szechuan cooking involves heavy use of garlic and Szechuan chili peppers.

To get the flavor and spice of the regional Chinese dish, Lay’s could’ve gone with some generic chili peppers mixed with other ingredients, but they went with the real deal — roasted Szechuan peppers. They also went with an ingredient called “Natural Szechuan Wok Type Flavor.” Yes! I’ve always wanted to know what wok tastes like!



The chips look darker than your standard Lay’s, and some areas are even darker, making them look like they’re slightly burnt. Maybe that’s from the soy sauce that’s listed in the ingredients, or maybe it’s the wok type flavor. They’re both dark. Every chip also has specks of parsley.

They have an unusual sweet soy aroma that’s will turn off unadventurous snackers. As for the chip’s flavor, it come in waves. First, there’s a strong dose of soy sauce and garlic. Then there’s a slight sweetness that’s followed by peppers. As I ate the chips, there were moments when its flavor reminded me of wasabi. There’s also an underlying greasy flavor that I can only assume is the “chicken.” Thanks to the peppers, the chips have some spiciness to them, but it tingles more than burns. But I think if you have an aversion to spicy foods you won’t like these in your mouth.

To be honest, Lay’s Chinese Szechuan Chicken Potato Chips are not a flavor I’d buy again. It’s not gross, but unlike most other potato chip flavors, I won’t mindlessly eat them. I’ll have a few and then say, “I’m good.” Out of all four Passport to Flavor varieties, this is my least favorite.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz – 150 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 330 milligrams of potassium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Edible. Adventurous taste buds.
Cons: Least favorite of the Lay’s Passport to Flavor varieties. Flavor not good enough for me to mindlessly eat. Those who don’t like spicy food might not like them. What’s wok flavor?

[GeneChing]

Doritos soy sauce wasabi and octopus dumpling sauce flavors come to Japan and Taiwan
Meg Murphy 2 days ago



These flavors are only available in Taiwan and Okinawa for a limited time!

Starting April 18, two limited-time Doritos tortilla chip flavors will be available at Family Mart convenience stores throughout the island of Okinawa. The new chip flavors have already been on sale at Family Mart stores in Taiwan.

Since 2014, Family Mart Okinawa has jointly developed products with Family Mart Taiwan. This time, the convenience store chain in both locations is bringing wasabi soy sauce (wasabi shoyu) and octopus dumpling sauce (takoyaki so-su) flavors to their customers. In Okinawa, the 90-gram (3.17-ounce) bags are being sold for 213 yen (US$1.96) each.


Image: Okinawa Family Mart (edited by RocketNews24)

Doritos is combining their standard tortilla chip crunch with more traditional Japanese flavors, bringing us a salty-spicy combination of soy sauce with a hot punch of wasabi. The second flavor, takoyaki sauce, brings a flavor most known in the Kansai region of Japan – specifically Osaka – where takoyaki (often called octopus balls or octopus dumplings in English) originates from. The doughy balls, once cooked, are topped with mayonnaise, dried bonito fish flakes, seaweed flakes, and the savory takoyaki sauce, which has a salty, tangy flavor that’s sure to make a great taste combination with Doritos’ corn tortilla chips.

While these sadly aren’t available on the Japanese mainland, there are plenty of other tasty and strange flavors to choose from to satisfy any craving!

Source: Okinawa Family Mart via Ryukyu Shimpo
Top image: Okinawa Family Mart (edited by RocketNews24)

Asian Doritos rox!

[GeneChing]

I love the Taiwan Ghost Month Doritos but there's been enough variations that I'm splitting this off into a separate thread, one that isn't so Taiwanese, ghostly or Doritosish - Asia's unique snack chips.

Durian potato chips are now a thing in China
Lay's introduces a new flavor with the funky Southeast Asian fruit
by Jethro Kang October 10, 2018 in Food



The trend of durian on things continues to permeate in China, with food brand Lay’s most recently joining the fray with their durian-flavored potato chips.

The snack food company introduced the limited edition item last month with the name “Little Durian Monster (小怪兽榴莲味),” characterized by a cartoon-like face printed over the spiky Southeast Asian delicacy.



Naturally, netizens have latched onto the unusual flavor like flies to an overripe fruit, but online feedback on Lay’s official Tmall store has been mixed.

“The smell of durian is very heavy, but there is no durian taste when it’s eaten,” said one reviewer.

“I usually eat durian,” wrote another, “but it’s not suitable for making potato chips. It’s too sweet and greasy. This new taste is disappointing and really unpalatable.”



Lay’s released salted egg-flavored potato chips at the same time, and reviews on that have been more positive, with many people calling it salty and satisfying.

The potato chip brand now forms part of the crowd of fast food producers that is using durian in their menu. Pizza Hut currently has durian pizzas on offer, while KFC used to sell durian egg tarts. McDonald’s has a durian ice cream in their Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong outlets.

The new Lay’s flavors can be found on Tmall at ¥99 for two 125-gram bags of durian and salted egg yolk each, or at convenience stores around town.