Potato Chips Salt - MUJI

Muji presents this snack in a simple packaging making honours to his philosophy: less is more. Inside we find ridge cut "bareisho" potatoes from France, fried in sunflower oil (34%) and spiced with Guérande sea salt (1.1%). Guérande sea salt is collected in the Atlantic coast of Brittany and is softer in the palate than Mediterranean sea salt.  Despite that, we found the chips to be pretty salty and a bit starchy but not at all oily. In our opinion these potato chips seem to aspire to the modesty and plainness of the brand. 

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.8 cm long
and has a thickness of	2.31 mm *
Crunchiness:	78 dB
Other features:	Salty, light yellow, undulated chips.
Origin:
Country, region	France, Japan, UK
We got them from	a MUJI store in Germany
Price / gram	1.99 € / 125 g
On-line:	muji.com

Inside a bag of MUJI potato chips

北海道 ようていポテトチップス うすしお味 - Fukagawa Yushi Kabushikigaisha

"Hokkaido Mt Youtei Potato Chips soft salt" are named after the Youtei volcano. The mascot of Kutchan city, a skiing potato, presents these chips in a greenish bag with a background photo of the volcano. Kutchan is known for its proximity to the world famous snow region of Niseko and for its production of quality potatoes, hence its mascot.

The potatoes chosen for this delicacy are of the Danshaku type. The chips are flat cut, partly unpeeled and, once baked in a mix of palm and rice oils, get a pale yellow colour. The crunch is thud, short and slightly muffled, probably due to the reduced quantity of oil used in the baking. This provides an intense potato flavour maybe at the expense of a mouth dry feeling.

On the bag rear, there's plenty of information about the mountain region with national parks, museums, trekking routes, etc... an interesting use of a potato chips bag as a leaflet to promote touristic spots in the Hokkaido area. 

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	6.2 cm long
and has a thickness of	N/A
Crunchiness:	86 dB
Other features:	Pale yellow, mix of palm and rice oil.
Origin:
Country, region	Japan, Hokkaido
We got them from	a YoursLIVI supermarket in Hiroshima, Japan.
Price / gram	151 ¥ / 75 g
On-line:	http://kumachan.co.jp/shop

Inside a bag of Hokkaido Mt Youtei Potato Chips soft salt.

ギザギザポテト - Organic farm

ギザギザ "gizagiza" potatoes are produced by Miura Seika Kabushikigaisha under the trade mark Organic Farm.

"Gizagiza" means "zigzag" in Japanese. Another synonim to add in our list of wavy, undulated, ruffled or crinckle-cut chips.

The potatoes are of the "Bareisho" type and come from certified bio JAS gardens. Once peeled the potatoes are zigzag cut. The chips are then baked in an unspecified vegetable oil and finally salted. The packaging does not mention the (bio) origin of the other ingredients besides the potatoes.

The final product are pale yellow chips of average size and gentle crunch that once in the mouth taste soft and feel juicy.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	7 cm long
and has a thickness of	1.59 mm *
Crunchiness:	89 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, bio potatoes.
Origin:
Country, region	Japan, Shizuoka
We got them from	a Natural House shop in Omotesando-Tokyo Japan.
Price / gram	199 ¥ / 60 g
On-line:	http://www.naturalhouse.jp

* Due to the wavy cut, with very small and close undulations, the thickness has been measured between the top peak and the bottom of the valley.

Inside a bag of gizagiza potato chips

国産原料にこだわったポテトチップス - Fukagawa Yushi Kabushikigaisha

From the far east, another way of labeling products reaches Crisps&Critics. At the bag front we don't find any brand name, any striking logo nor a motto easily fittable in a typical jingle add. Just a rising sun behind a rice field and a bear presenting this text:  "Potato chips with selected products of national origin". 

The potatoes come from Hokkaido (north of Japan) and are of the Danshaku type. Prepared with care during hours, the chips are cut in wavy slices and go through a very well thought production process so that the taste and texture are optimized. Rice bran oil baking provides the chips with a mild and pleasant flavor. Rice bran oil is extracted from the hard outer brown layer of rice after chaff (rice husk). The baked flavor is well accompanied by a precisely measured quantity of sea salt from the Saroma lake, a sea water lagoon fed from the Ohotsuku sea, between Hokkaido and Sakhalin.

Altogether, it does not surprise Crisps&Critics that these chips are very tasty. At first sight simple food, one feels that it has been carefully prepared with natural products cultivated over the years and specifically chosen and combined to match and please every subtle palate.

Features:
The biggest potato crisps is	5.9 cm long
and has a thickness of	N/A *
Crunchiness:	83 dB
Other features:	Wavy cut, rice oil.
Origin:
Country, region	Japan, Hokkaido
We got them from	a YoursLIVI supermarket in Hiroshima, Japan.
Price / gram	151 ¥ / 60 g
On-line:	http://kumachan.co.jp/shop

* Due to the wavy cut, with very small and close ondulations, the thickness has not been measured.

Inside a bag of Kumachan potato chips