Lorenz Pomsticks Paprika flavour

Here’s another packet of crispy snacks that I found in our local Turkish shop. They have an amazing array of different brands that can’t always be found anywhere else.

PomSticks, or as we called them when I was a child, chipples, are a tasty way to eat finely chopped and deep fried potatoes. And if I remember correctly, my brother and I learned to eat chipples in Edinburgh, in about 1963. So this style of crispy snack has been around for quite a while.

And this packet of “chipples” is a very tasty example of finely chopped deep fried potatoes. Very nice indeed. 

It tastes nicely of something or other, I couldn’t work out what, but I wasn’t really bothered. But tasty.

If I had bothered to read the label (sorry, I didn’t) I would have known the taste was paprika. Really? I’m not sure I could taste paprika. They don’t seem to taste particularly paprika-y. Whatever it was tasted quite good, so we’ll stick with that.

Here’s another Lorenz crispy snack.

Migros Jumpy’s Paprika

Here’s another kangaroo-shaped crispy snack which has probably been around for some time. For all intents and purposes this packet of Jumpy’s is identical to the packet of Chios Jumpys I reviewed back in 2013. Except of course that it purports to be something else. 2013! So long ago! So many crispy snacks. I would never have imagined so many would be kangaroo-shaped.

It looks very much as though this is an own brand product from Swiss supermarket Migros, manufactured by the original company, Chios. Or possibly Intersnack Switzerland.

The Chef assures me that these imposter kangaroos taste exactly the same as Chio kangaroos. I am still not particularly keen on Jumpy’s, but the Chef remains a huge fan.

While we are discussing crispy crunchy kangaroos, here’s a different flavour from Migros that I had quite forgotten about. Not sure that I was mad about the sour cream flavour any more than the paprika, sunny or otherwise. 

Migros M Classic Triangles Paprika

Another packet of crispy snacks from Swiss supermarket Migros (but manufactured in The Netherlands). And this time not shaped like tiny turtles, but like triangles. It really is unusual. I have never seen a triangle shaped snack before. Well, yes, tortilla chips are triangular, but not like this.

Normally I would say I love an extruded smooshed up maize based snack. And these triangles certainly do have a nice bite. And what’s more, they don’t gum themselves to your teeth like so many such snacks do. 

But, most unfortunately, I don’t really like the taste. The paprika taste I am used to is slightly sweeter and nothing like so smoky. I know smoky flavours are all the rage these days, but I am not convinced. I can do without the smokiness thank you. And let’s get rid of the slightly greasy aftertaste please.

I did manage to eat almost an entire packet in one sitting out of a sort of addiction to the triangle crunch, and for my pains I got smelly orange fingers. The smell lasted through several thorough hand washings, an overnight sleep (not just a quick nap) and a bath. 

I really would like to try this crispy snack in a different flavour; but I think it only comes in paprika.

A good try though: the shape is great.

Zweifel Filu Paprika

Quite simply one of the tastiest crispy snacks the Chef and I have tasted in a long long time. And Cliffs of Moher taste tester agrees with us.

Yum yum yum.

This is just as tasty and just as crispy, and just as good as Filu Original... only better. Better? Yes, indeed. This is a truly fabulous crispy snack.

Of course if you don't enjoy this sort of puffed potato starch snack it won't really be for you, but we think it's pretty good. Not much else to say really.

Highly recommended but sadly probably only available in Switzerland. So book your holiday now!

Croky Paprika

This handsome blue packet of paprika flavoured crisps is the last packet brought home from the Netherlands by Noble Friend. And I for one thought them rather tasty.

I’m not sure why, but Noble Friend didn’t have high hopes for this crisp. Maybe it was the packet design? Maybe “Croky” didn’t appeal as a crisp name? Maybe it was the parrot? Who knows. No, no... I get it. She doesn’t eat red peppers. (No more do I, but that’s another story).

A simple crisp. A Belgian crisp, and a tasty one, this was quite popular with the reluctant taste testers.

Lay’s Wokkels Paprika

Well, this is exciting. Noble Friend has been to Amsterdam and brought back some packets of crisps for the reluctant taste testers and me to try, and what fun; Wokkels are crispy spirals.

Cliffs of Moher taste tester was much struck by these crunchy spirals and I must say I thought they were very good too. Strangely not very tasty (which you know I like) at first bite, and then a hit of paprika. Very nice. Lovely light crunch, I think Cliffs of Moher would have liked more on the paprika front. But hey ho, it’s a pretty good snack.

I always wonder if spiral crispy snacks are going to have a hard inner er... spine?.. the way spiral pasta does. But in some mysterious way extruded potato copes with the shape better and you don’t get a harder core.

Apparently all the reluctant taste testers in the building (quite a lot of us work part time) really enjoyed this crispy snack. They all got snacked up quite quickly,

Apparently Noble Friend’s Antique Fan friend delights in pointing out suitable sources of crispy snacks for us to try so I mustn’t forget to thank him too.

And extra thanks to Noble Friend for the Van Gogh Museum bag. I’m so pleased she enjoyed visiting the museum.

M&S Paprika Hand Cooked Crisps

The Chef is particularly fond of some Paprika crisps from Swiss crisp giant Zweifel, so when I spotted this little packet of Paprika crisps from Marks & Spencer I could not resist. I thought he’d like to try.

And the Chef was keen. So keen in fact that he ate the whole packet before I was able to take a picture and commemorate these crisps for all eternity. I can of course go back to my local branch of M&S to buy another packet, in fact I think the Chef may kick up a fuss if I don’t, but somehow it’s not the same if I photograph a subsequent packet.

He tells me this is a very nice crisp and he really enjoyed it. I got one of the very last crisps not snacked up by the Chef. A very nice crunch I thought. And good taste too. And a totally different crisp from the Zweifel version.

I think I’ll be back at M&S soon. With any luck getting a couple of packets will stop the Chef being so grumpy. He’s not interested in the Royal Wedding, he doesn’t know anything about Yanny or Laurel meme, and he doesn’t care at all about the FA Cup Final. Oh dear.

Because I don't have a crisp shot here's the flower and bract of Davidia involucrata. I think they're just beautiful.

M&S Spirit of Summer Paprika Hand Cooked Crisps

Used to be you could only buy paprika flavoured crisps in mainland Europe where paprika is a popular flavour. I've written a few posts on Euro crisps (especially Zweifel Paprika crisps found only in Switzerland) but I'd never seen them here.

Until I found The Real McCoy's Ridge Cut Paprika crisps when we went to Avebury two years ago.

And now here's this very nice crisp from Marks & Spencer. You probably know that crisp manufacturers routinely use paprika for colour and M&S haven't scrimped on the colour here; this crisp really is a lovely paprika red.

The reluctant taste testers really approved of this crisp. I think all of them went out of their way to tell me how much they enjoyed it. A lot. Which is quite unusual. And I think they would have eaten a second or even a third bowlful only I felt obliged to take half the packet home for the Chef to try. He gets grumpy if the reluctant taste testers eat a whole packet of really good crisps.

This is a very tasty crisp. I hope M&S keep it on next year as I'm sure it would be popular.

Pom-Bär Paprika

This is a huge 100g bag of Pom Bears I found in Switzerland.

Now, I rather enjoy Pom Bear original. It's a lovely flavour of not very much. And increasingly I find I really like a crispy snack that tastes of not a lot. So I wasn't really sure I wanted to enjoy paprika flavour Pom Bears.

But they are kind of moreish.

The Chef really enjoyed his share of the packet (about half) and most of the reluctant taste testers were happy too. 'I really like a Pom Bear' they said as they snacked into a slightly orange, slightly smiling potato foam bear-shaped snack. Even Discerning Architectural taste tester likes Pom Bears, although Tall taste tester wasn't that impressed.

We have now tried Pom Bear Cheese & Onion and Pom Bear Original. So it was interesting to try another flavour. And indeed a flavour not bought in the UK.

Hema Paprika Chips

This is a superb crisp.

A rich paprika orange, nice thin cut, lovely crunch, and a fabulous creamy paprika flavour.

All the reluctant taste testers liked this Dutch crisp a great deal. We all liked it, we all said how much we liked it and we finished off the 125g packet. We loved it.

I gather that Hema is a department store with branches all over The Netherlands. And they have expanded to a store in London. Dutch Taste Tester tells me that when the Hema store first opened in London it weirdly only sold British products, and Dutch expats were sorely disappointed. However, now there are proper Dutch products on sale. Such as Dutch liquorice (Dutch Taste Tester is a big fan) and (excitingly) Dutch crisps. Of which this is one.

Huzzah! Because this crisp is truly fab. Get yourself to The Netherlands... or London Victoria.

KP The Real McCoy's Ridge Cut Paprika

Still road trip! And another little packet of crisps from the motorway service station, this time 50g.

And lookee here!! The first packet of British crisps I've ever seen in Paprika flavour. New says the packet. So perhaps there were no Paprika crisps to find before.

Well, I have pondered this before without coming to any sensible conclusion but previously the ever popular Paprika flavour available in all sorts of European destinations just hasn't made it to the UK. And I really wondered why not.

It has now. Courtesy of McCoy's man crisps.

Yes: back to man crisps I'm afraid ladies. What is it with man crisps? We all know there are piles of crisps and crispy snacks aimed at children. And we know there are man crisps; McCoys if no other. But why aren't there any crisps aimed at women? It's a thought I may have to return to.

And anyway, in mainland Europe there are masses of Paprika flavour crisps eaten by everyone, so I don't know why McCoy's should appropriate the flavour for men.

However, not a bad ridge cut crisp with a great crunch. Not as sweet as many Paprika crisps I've tried.  Maybe less sweet to make them more manly? But in the end, pretty good. Not half bad for a first attempt.

And here are some photos of The Avenue at Avebury. Built about 2600 BC it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, owned and managed by the National Trust. Many buttercups this weekend.

Lay's Papryka

This giant bag of Polish paprika flavour crisps was contributed by techie taste tester who found them in Finsbury Park. 

TV Paka says the packet. Which google translate tells me means TV crate. Crate? Really? I suspect what it really means is a great big bag to graze on while watching the television because paka really looks as though it means pack. Although obviously it could be what teachers of French call "false friends"; you know, words that don't mean what you think they mean.

The packet says these crisps are full of taste and aroma. And number 1 for something I can't translate! Possibly number 1 in the paprika crisp market?

Dear me! I hope the lovely Polish people this bag is aimed at are going to share or they'll get frightfully fat eating all these crisps by themselves.

Don't you think it's interesting that paprika is such a huge flavour for European crisps but doesn't exist at all as a flavour in the UK? I had Swiss paprika crisps and German paprika crisps, and now Polish papryka crisps.

It's also interesting that a Polish friend tells me they don't eat crisps in Poland. Evidently they do.

And these crisps are pretty good. I think the taste testers made away with several bowlsful but it was such a huge packet there were leftovers for the donor (who also contributed the photographs) to take home.

Zweifel Snacketti Paprika Shells

Snack mit Kartoffeln und Paprikapulver. That sounds rather fancier than Snack with potatoes and paprika powder, doesn't it?

I think I would rather describe these as paprika flavour shell-shaped potato snacks. Which means the same thing but somehow sounds better.

Strong paprika aroma, very strong paprika taste (quite hot), lots of paprika flavour dust and a massive crispy crunch that could probably win awards if there are any for sheer crunchiness. An all round crunchy paprika-fest.

Very shell-shaped with great ridges and a wonderful scoop; I should think they would work tremendously with a dip.... although the taste is very strong so you'd need to choose your dip quite carefully.

These are great crisps with a fantastic crunch. Perhaps not mad about the flavour.

San Carlo Più Gusto Vivace

A third crisp flavour from the multipacco we found in Baveno in Northern Italy. And really rather good. I like these più gusto flavours. The flavour is certainly not strong by UK crisp standards but very pleasant nonetheless.

This flavour is called "vivace" which means lively, brisk, bright, vivid or vivacious (or vicious as my spell checker would prefer). I'm not sure any of those words would be  my choice, certainly not my first choice, of name for this tasty but quite gentle flavour.

The flavour seems to be mostly paprika and mustard. Which sounds a fairly nasty combination. But the taste is really good.

These crisps are quite small with a light crunch. Not a great deal of flavour dust. A very nice crisp though.

The reluctant taste testers at work again snacked these down pretty quickly. Everyone thought they were very nice. This sounds as though I am damning them with faint praise but I think very nice about sums them up.

Usually I complain that bags of crisps are far too large but we could have done with more than 25g of these. Lucky thing the multipacco had two bags in so I have a spare at home. But perhaps not for long.

Zweifel Paprika Original Chips

"Original Zweifel peppers are the clear leader among Zweifel chips! With her unmistakable Gewürtzmix they belong for 50 years the most popular in the range."

This is what Zweifel's rather orange website tells me, although to do them justice I should point out that the rather dodgy English translation is courtesy of google.

Zweifel is a family owned Swiss company based in Zurich and Aargau. They introduced crisps "les chips" to the Swiss in 1950 and have about 70% of the market share. Paprika is the most popular flavour. And that's enough facts.

It's really quite amazing how much paprika goes into making crisps. Foolishly perhaps I had always supposed that paprika farmers were dependent on people making lots of goulash, but not a bit of it. Practically everything I look at these days seems to be coloured with paprika, or flavoured with it too. These crisps are just covered in tasty paprika yumminess.

Paprika has possibly also inspired the colour of the Zweifel factory which is an exciting very bright orange. Oh, and the colour of the website too of course.

Zweifel paprika original crisps are extremely finely cut, far finer than the average British crisp. They are a rich orange in colour, have a really delicate crunch and have lots of high quality flavour dust to lick off your fingers. The fineness of the crisp does result in more broken crisps than you would expect from, say, a packet of Walkers, but we don't find this a problem: the taste is simply too good.

We try very hard not to eat too many of these when we are in Switzerland, and usually fail. And Terry always imports several large packets into the UK when he comes home so we fail not to eat them here too.

Delicious. Try them if you can. I gather Zweifel export some of their products to Germany and Italy so supplies may not be confined to Switzerland.