Ketchup potato chips are a regional variety of potato chip found in Canada. Its invention is typically attributed to Hostess Potato Chips.[1] It is a popular Canadian snack food.[2] Ketchup chips are sold in almost every Canadian grocery store.[3]
History
Hostess Potato Chips began experimenting with the production of new potato chip varieties in the early 1970s. Ketchup chips were the only one that proved profitable, as other flavours like orange and grape were discontinued.[2] According to a writer for The Takeout, ketchup chips do not truly taste like ketchup but instead are composed of flavours reminiscent of it, like cooked tomatoes and sugar.[4] A writer for Thrillest described them as tasting "like a bottle of ketchup was blown apart" and "were dusted upon the chip in equal parts".[3] The chip variety has also been described as a "sweeter barbecue".[5] Ketchup chips are not marketed with healthier variants, as diminished salt content and natural flavouring changes the taste of them significantly and therefore limits product innovation.[6] Ketchup chips are strongly associated with Canadian identity.[7] They are especially popular in Manitoba.[6]
Canadian chip flavours such as ketchup are more vinegar-based in comparison to the United States, where more varieties have a creamier flavour profile. These flavour preferences are likely influenced by differing immigration trends and Canada's connection to the United Kingdom.[8] For example, Canadians are more likely to pair white vinegar with fries, a combination that is commonplace in Britain but unusual in the United States.[9]
International markets
Historically, Old Dutch sold ketchup chips in both Canada and the United States but discontinued production in the American market after it failed to succeed.[10] There is limited production of the variety in the United States, but ketchup chips are much more commonplace in Canada. Frito Lay does not sell its ketchup chips in the US, with American potato chips being produced by other companies like Herr's Snacks.[11] In 2023, two Americans travelled from Virginia to Niagara Falls, Ontario, in order to purchase forty bags of ketchup chips. A Canadian grocery store then shipped them nine cases of potato chips.[12] They donated some of the chips to local schools.[13]
Walkers, a British food manufacturer, launched ketchup chips in 2001, partnering with Heinz to produce the product.[14] These chips were discontinued in 2023.[15] Sausage and ketchup chips were released as a limited edition flavour in 2024.[16]
See also
- All-dressed, another Canadian potato chip variety
References
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