I ran into the Oishi cracklings at Viet Hoa Market in Monona. For some reason, it had never occurred to me to traverse the junk food aisles of Asian grocery stores in search of salt & vinegar snacks. Why wouldn't the snack architects of the Pacific Rim be seduced by the scrumptious wiles of salt & vinegar?
But caveat emptor!
These Oishi cracklings are really a simulcrum of cracklings. They are flavored wheat and tapioca paste shaped and formed into snack size bites. I found no ingredient on the packaging that sounded like it came from a pig. Alas, the flavoring was artificial.
They seemed to be a bit on the salty side but, despite having a trio of acids - citric, malic, and lactic, they have very little tang. Perhaps these are homeopathic "cracklings" with more and more wheat paste having been added until the acids were diluted. I was left only with the memory of vinegar taste.
I see here that Top Fox offers pumpkin seeds and only pumpkin seeds. That and they're in central Illinois which makes them neighbors and me happy to buy their product.
As one would expect when eating pumpkin seeds, these had a big, hearty, nutty taste. (Himalayan) Salt levels were definitely elevated. Organic natural flavor, organic vinegar powder, and citric acid gave the seeds a nice tang, if you ate enough at once. If you pop just a few in your mouth, the vinegar is noticeable but not prominent. Pour a whole bunch into your maw and then your tongue will feel it.
These are highly recommended.
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