For as long as I have known Rob we have been arguing over the correct terminology for those yummy but highly fatty potato snacks commonly referred to as ‘chips’ by Australians and ‘crisps’ by the Brits.  Rob has a problem with calling the cold ‘crisp’ a ‘chip’ because in his mind, ‘chips’ are meant to be hot.  I think Rob is an idiot.  The jury is still out.

It occurred to me today whilst chomping through a miniature packet of chicken crinkle-cut chips that I will soon be in Crisp Country, otherwise known as the UK, and I will be banned from using the term ‘chip’.  Rob and I have agreed to use the term native to the country we are currently residing in - when we’re in Australia, they are ‘chips’ and the game is ’soccer’, when we’re in the UK it’s ‘crisps’ and ‘football’.

My train of thought led me to ponder if anyone had ever done a study or project researching the world’s greatest flavour of crisps or chips.  Of course the G2 section in the Guardian Newspaper seems to run a survey of this sort every now and then, and there are a few message board threads online that have the same idea.  The real answer would be found by studying the volume of crisp flavour sales in several different countries - I feel pretty confident that ‘Sour Cream & Chives’ or ‘Salt & Vinegar’ would be the best seller in Australia, but perhaps ‘Prawn Cocktail’ or ‘Ready Salted’ would win the battle in the UK.

Looking back into the history of crisp flavourings, it appears that chips were originally packaged with no flavouring at all bar a sprinkling of salt.  It wasn’t until the 1950s that ‘Cheese & Onion’ and ‘Salt & Vinegar’ flavourings appeared after the experiments conducted by a man named Joe Murphy who owned the Irish crisp company Tayto.  According to the wikipedia page for potato chips, after Tayto’s initial success the concept of potato flavourings spread like wild-fire: South Africa has ‘Fruit Chutney’ and ‘Biltong’ flavours, whilst Canada enjoys ‘Wasabi’; Japan apparently has ‘Mayonnaise’ flavoured crisps, and in China they apparently have ‘Cucumber’.

My research into the world’s greatest flavour inevitably led me to the Walkers Crisps website where they are proudly parading the flavours ‘Worcester Sauce’, ‘Marmite’ and ‘Chilli and Lemon’.  For starters, no chip flavour should ever involve a combination of something and fruit - it’s like the Red Rock Deli ‘Lime and Cracked Pepper’ flavour we have here in Australia, it beggars belief why anyone would find that tasty.  Secondly, if a company is going to use a savoury spread to flavour their crisps they should be using the original (and the best) - Vegemite - and not the second-rate imitation.  And thirdly, why would you have a ‘Worcester Sauce’ flavour and NOT have a ‘Sour Cream and Chilli’ flavour?  Walkers, what are you doing??  Bring back your ‘Turkey and Stuffing’ flavour and I may consider putting you back on the Christmas Card list.

As my search for the world’s best flavour of crisps has so far been unsuccessful, I’m considering polling everyone I come across for the next few months - friends, family and strangers alike.  Perhaps I could start a world-wide phenomenon by getting everyone I ask to ask all of their friends and family and then email me the results!