We tried 16 international potato chip flavors. Here's how it went.
If there's one ultimately beloved American snack food, it's probably the potato chip, and flavored potato chips are big business. Barbecue, sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, horseradish and cheddar, and even dill pickle are popular flavors.
Other countries enjoy different (very different) potato chip flavors tailored to local tastes. We recently were captivated by a display of Lay's chips designed for Chinese tastes in Aihua International Market. Garlic and Oyster and roasted fish were a couple of the flavors offered. We thought it would be fun to do a blind tasting of the most unusual potato chip flavors we could find.
We visited Aihua, China Market, Swagat Indian market, Guanajuato Mexican Market and, for good measure, ran into Meijer for some of their Frederik's chips, and wound up with 16 flavors, although we could have gotten more. Tasters guessed the flavor and ranked the chips from their least to most favorite. Some results were surprising. Starting at the bottom, here are the results. Note that the higher priced bags were larger quantities unless noted.
The chips we tried
16. Lay’s Roasted Fish, $2.39, Aihua – My fears notwithstanding, these chips did not taste very fishy, although there was a light seafood undertone. They had a mild, rich taste that was a little confusing, which seems to be why the scores were low rather than any bad taste. Comments included “less spicy cheddar,” “soy and shrimp?” “crab?” “eggs,” “why do these taste like calamari breading?” and “nutty.”
15. Lay’s Garlic Oyster, $2.39 Aihua – Well, there had to be one. The flavor was surprisingly true to real oysters, but while most of our tasters like actual oysters, not many were partial to the taste on a potato chip. Comments on the flavor were “Garlic/onion/ew,” “lobster, way too fishy,” “seafoodish – tastes like it’s poorly trying to replicate a food I like,” “shellfish – no,” and “fishy.”
14. Spicy Barbecue (from the Philippines), $1.39 Aihua – I was interested to see what a basic flavor such as “barbecue” would taste like when made in another part of the world. These chips weren’t spicy, and compared to the others didn’t have a strong flavor. They ranked low, not because they tasted bad, but because they tasted bland. Some guesses as to the variety were “Thai,” “dull,” “cardboard,” “still tasting the one before this,” and “no idea.”
13. Korean Haitai Honey Butter chips, $4.39, Aihua - These had an unexpected flavor, like sweet dairy sour cream, and green flecks added to the impression of a sour-cream-and-chive chip. They weren’t bad. These were expensive for a small bag. Some people liked them, but the addition of the sweetness to what seemed to be a sour cream and onion chip threw a lot of people. Guesses on the flavor included “Grippo’s,” “really sour creamy, sweet,” “sour cream and onion, odd aftertaste,” “creamy, odd, different,” and “cream cheese and chive, strangely sweet.”
12. Lay’s ridged India’s Magic Masala, $.99 Swagat – This Indian spice blend included Kala Namak black salt, a common ingredient in “chat” or snack seasonings in India. It has a light sulfur flavor that can be pleasant combined with other spices and is often used by vegans to make tofu dishes taste like eggs. Some like it, and some do not. These chips did not have an extremely strong flavor overall. Tasting notes included “sulfur,” “what?” “something smoky,” and “sharp.”
11. Frederik’s Rosemary & Feta Crinkle Kettle Chips, $3.29, Meijer – The rosemary flavor really came through on these, which I liked. I enjoy the texture of Frederick’s Crinkle Kettle Chips, which have the bubbly crunch of kettle chips, but with a wide wave. I’d serve these alongside any panini or Italian hoagie. Opinions on these were split between people who really liked them and people who really didn't. Some comments were “jalapeno,” “garlicky aftertaste,” “mild, vegetal,” “chives, strong,” and "fried pickle-ish.”
10. Spicy Oyster Omelet ridged chips, $1.99, China Market – Despite expectations, these weren't super-unusual. I tasted no seafood flavor, but there was a meatiness and a hint of Chinese five spice with star anise. They weren’t my favorite, but were interesting and not bad. People seemed to find them either intriguing or awful. Some guesses on the flavor were “chicken salad,” “no idea but tasty,” “meat? Indian?” “hot sauce,” and “Halal tamarind flavor.”
9. Frederik’s Black Truffle and Olive Oil Crinkle Kettle Chips, $3.29, Meijer – I adore truffle fries and expected this to be a hit. I liked them well enough, but truffle can be polarizing, and this truffle flavor seemed artificial. Overall, the marks were medium-low. Some comments on the flavor included “eh, salt,” “would not eat again,” “maybe my taste buds are dying,” “hairspray,” “oily, salt substitute,” and “sour cream and onion.”
8. Ruffles Queso, $3.60, Guanajuato – I was curious how Frito-Lay would appeal to Mexican tastes with their queso flavored chips. It tasted like cheese. Kind of. The cheese flavor was strong and artificial, but these could be appealing to people who like cheese flavored snacks or kids who enjoy boxed mac & cheese. They were a smaller bag and pretty expensive for the size. Notes on the flavor included “cheese and sour cream,” “cheesy,” “cheddar and sour cream,” and “cheddar.”
7. Lay’s Mexican Chicken Tomato, $2.39 Aihua – The style is “Mexican” but the brand is Lay’s and the packaging was for the Chinese market, so things may have been lost in translation on this one. The flavor was good but ambiguous. Some guesses were “garlic,” “sweet bbq,” “shellfish,” “non-descript,” “Hawaiian, like pineapple on pizza?” and “Grippo’s BBQ.”
6. Lay’s ridged Chili Limon, $4.99 Guanajuato – Now these were tasty to my palate. I clearly got the fruity citrus of lime playing off the mildly spicy chile. Most tasters liked them, but others, while they agreed on the flavor, didn’t rank it among their favorites. They were expensive for a small bag. Some guesses to the flavor were “curry,” “chile and lime, zesty,” “hot sauce?” “chile lime, almost sweet,” and “spice with lime.”
5. Naturasol Miguelito Dulce en Polvo Enchilado, $4.55, Guanajuato – These chips tasted like fruity, ripe tomatoes, but oddly enough there is no tomato in them. Miguelito Dulce en Polvo is a brand of Chamoy powder, a bright red mixture of sugar, salt, citric acid, chile and spices that is sprinkled over fruit. We can vouch it’s also pretty good on potato chips. Most people liked this one and comments included “tomatoey, full,” “tomato and basil,” “red onion,” “tikka masala, earthy tomato,” and “red pepper.”
4. Lay’s ridged Spanish Tomato Tango, $.99 Swagat – These chips were obviously tomato-based. To me they tasted like ketchup with a little something extra. I was especially curious about them as they were made by Lay's, called “Spanish” and sold at an Indian market. They were tasty and most people liked them. Some flavor guesses were “tomato soup, delicious,” “tomato soup,” “ketchup, good but too sweet,” and “beet.”
3. Frederik’s Maple Bacon Crinkle Kettle Chips, $3.29 Meijer – I like maple syrup and bacon just fine, but I’m not a fan of maple or bacon flavored things. The maple flavor came out most in these chips, with a smoky undertone. My favorite thing about them was the texture, but most tasters ranked them toward the top of their list. Guesses on the flavor included “bacon,” “maple,” “almost sweet,” “no clue but not bad,” “french toasty,” and “maple syrup.”
2. Lay’s ridged West Indies Hot and Sweet Chili, $.99 Swagat – Although the name seems to promise something fiery and exotic, these chips were pretty mild. They were tasty, however, with nothing to dislike about them, and they scored high. Guesses as to the flavor were “not cheese,” “spicy,” “top-notch,” “slight spice, fire?” “BBQ w/spice?” and “bacon.”
1. Sabritas Adobadas chips, $4.49, Aihua - And here we have the winner. Everybody loved these. “Adobadas” means “marinated” in Spanish, and these bright red chips made in Mexico capture the flavor of a favorite meat marinade with chili, citric acid, tomato, garlic and spices. They were tasty, not too spicy, and not obviously chili or tomato flavored. Some of the guesses as to the flavor were “lemony/spicy,” “ketchup,” “roasted red pepper,” “salsa,” and “spicy bbq.”
Here are the stores where we shopped:
Aihua International Market is at 1624 N. Green River Road; 812-479-7168.
China Market is at 4604 Vogel Road; 812-471-9999.
Guanajuato Hispanic Market is at 4600 Washington Ave.; 812-602-1326.
Meijer is at 2622 Menards Drive; m812-647-2200.
Swagat is at 105 N. Green River Road; 812-437-5087.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: We tried 16 international potato chip flavors. Here's how it went.
