Taste Testing Five Unusual Thai Snacks

The other day we were feeling a bit goofy, and might we add, curious. So we went into our local 7-Eleven and instead of walking past the prepackaged Thai snacks like we normally do, we decided to do a bit of a taste testing experiment. Why not try out some typical, but none-the-less, unusual Thai snacks? Here’s to being guinea pigs!

We don’t typically indulge in prepackaged salty and sugary snacks like the ones we’re about to, but we got a wild hair and thought we’d give them a try. After all, they are nearly impossible to ignore while browsing the aisles of Thai convenience and grocery stores. We tried picking out ones that would be unusual to our American palettes but nothing too crazy to the point we found them unappetizing!

Sweet and Spicy Squid Seafood Snack

These seafood strips were, in our opinion, easily the most unusual Thai snacks. It looked as if someone pureed squid and other various ingredients, put everything into a squeeze bottle, drew a tight zig-zag along a cookie sheet, and then baked it.

Cost: Two 1″ x 3″ strips cost 5 baht ($0.17 USD)

First Impression: The snack felt tacky to the touch and was pretty stinky. The first bite proved to be too sweet. Bleck! Sugary squidy seafoody flavors do not mix well. And then there was a punch of spiciness. It was a little chewy, definitely sticky, and a bit stale tasting, too.

The Verdict: Although this seems to be a popular snack with children (Angela remembers seeing her students happily gnawing away on these chewy sticks), they aren’t quite made for our palette. We’d rather eat freshly grilled squid.

Big Sheet Seaweed

You know the strips of seaweed used in sushi? Greenish black and paper-thin, these fried seaweed snacks were instead rolled out into flat single serving sheet. They are light and airy but aren’t as brittle as they look. They actually bend a bit before being able to be torn off into smaller pieces.

Along with the Original flavor, these snacks feature non-scary BBQ flavor. But there are Garlic and Grilled Squid flavors, too.

Cost: One 3″ x 4″ strip cost 10 baht ($0.35 US).

First Impression: Light as air, these fried seaweed snacks quickly dissolved in our mouths like Cheese Puffs. They are full of flavor, which can best be described as a slight meaty (umami) with a fresh ocean taste. And you know how Doritos leave delicious orange dust on your fingers? Seaweed snacks do the same thing, only with little black crumbly flakes of goodness.

The Verdict: We’re big fans of this seaweed snack, and to be honest, have enjoyed them long before doing this experiment. Seaweed strips are full of flavor and satisfying salty snack. We just used this experiment as an excuse to buy some.

Our only disappointment is that they are hardly filling and there seems to be more packaging than product, at least for this particular brand. But we can’t help preferring the packaging featuring the anime figure resembling Cartman from South Park. It’s that or bags featuring K-pop stars.

Shrimp Ginger Lime Chili Flavored Lays Potato Chips

Thailand’s Lays potato chips have familiar Western flavors like Original, BBQ, and Sour Cream & Onion. But there are also more unusual flavors like (Maine) Lobster, Shrimp, and Nori Seaweed. We got a kick out of the international flavors like Italian Cheese, Mexican Burritos, and British Ham. Yes, British Ham.

We couldn’t figure out the translation of the flavor, so we’re just going off the pictures on the package, which featured shrimp, ginger, lime, and chilies.

Cost: One bag for 20 baht ($0.60 USD)

First Impression: The chips look harmless, but they packed a sour limey punch uppercut. So much so that we couldn’t taste the ginger, or shrimp, or even the chilies. In fact, the sourness distracted us from any spiciness at all!

The Verdict: We’ll pass. It was too sour for us. But maybe those who like salt and vinegar chips will enjoy this unusual flavor.

Durian Chips

Fresh durian is an unusual Thai snack in itself. This tropical fruit is infamous for stinking to high heavens, often being described as having the sickly sweet smell of an onion beginning to go bad. But for this snack, the fruit has been dried and package in a (presumably) less smelly manner for customers’ convenience.

Cost: One bag for 49 baht ($1.65 USD)

First Impression: If you told us this was a potato chip with a light coating of salt and sugar on it, we’d believe you. There was no evidence, in taste or smell, that this was made of durian. The bag smelled like fried sweetness, with no hint that it was made of fruit, vegetable, or root. It was actually quite enjoyable.

The Verdict: If we were craving something with a sweet salty combination, this would be a good choice. The portion size is also generous, but it also happens to be the most expensive snack out of the group.

Pandan Cake Roll

Other than being radioactive green, this cake roll resembled the classic American Hoho. Although neither of us can remember the last time we had one of those snacks, we do like pandan, which is a leaf used to flavor several traditional Thai desserts. The best we can describe pandan flavor is that of an earthy jasmine smell and taste.

Cost: 12 baht for one roll ($0.40 USD)

First Impression: We were expecting a cake roll that was deeply dyed, super sweet, and with an overbearing concentration of flavor in the first bite. Instead, we got a light green roll that was appropriately, and not overwhelmingly, sweet. The cake itself was on the verge of being dry, but the cream was tasty and balanced everything out.

On the downside, although the roll certainly smelled of pandan, it tasted like a plain cake.

The Verdict: It’s not something that we’d go out of our way to eat, and it was really strange smelling the pandan flavor without tasting it. On the very rare occasion we are craving cake, we’d prefer to have a homemade slice from a local bakery or simply stick with the Thai snack featuring pumpkin in sweetened pandan flavored coconut milk.

Would You Eat These Unusual Thai Snacks?

These unusual Thai snacks are things we don’t go out of our way to eat, but thought it would be interesting to give them a try and compare them to some of the things remember eating as kids. Two out of five isn’t too bad. Would you be willing to any of try these? Which ones would you pass over?