When I received an email asking if I'd like to try Sakata Japanese Rice Crackers, I agreed, but I have to admit that it was a slightly reluctant OK. I was expecting those dry, rather strange-tasting rice crackers that my in laws' often serve as nibbles for pre-dinner drinks and which, I have to admit, I'm not all that keen on. The ones that look like this.
When the packs arrived, I was instantly pleasantly surprised by the delicious-sounding and familiar flavours : Classic Cheddar, Sizzling Barbecue, Sour Cream & Chive and Original. When I opened the first pack, I was surprised to see that they look very similar to crisps.
We started with the Cheddar ones and the whole Madhouse family loved them. So much so, in fact, that within minutes, the whole pack had gone ! While being just as crispy, crunchy and satisfying, they seem lighter and less greasy than crisps, a fact that was confirmed when I looked closely at the packaging and learned that each cracker only contains 9 calories. If they weren't so totally moreish, that would mean you'd get away with a very low-calorie snack !
I packed the Original and Sizzling Barbecue ones into my bag for our cross Channel Christmas shopping trip (that I told you about here) and found that the plastic tray that the crackers are stacked into protected them from getting crushed so they travelled better than normal crisps too.
The Sizzling Barbecue flavoured ones have a nice little kick to them and the Original crackers, which I thought I wouldn't like much, still have a pleasant flavour, even if I do prefer the flavoured ones. The girls thought that they tasted like a cross between crisps and rice cakes, which is actually quite accurate when you eat them with that in mind !
I was surprised to see that despite being Japanese crackers, they are made in Australia. A quick bit of research revealed that they were created by the Sato Brothers in the Japanese village of Sakata more than 50 years ago and they are already one of Australia’s favourite snacks. They are described as "the perfect snack and cool meal accompaniment and are also great for sharing and dipping – a flavoursome pleasure whatever the occasion".
Even just as a snack on their own, they're absolutely delicious. Using them as a cold meal accompaniment made me smile because the girls are always asking if they can have "bits and crisps" for tea - in other words, crisps accompanying a variety of ingredients ranging from chicken wings, ham and cheese cubes to carrot sticks, olives, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. These crackers would be the perfect accompaniment and, thinking ahead, that sounds like a great way of using up leftover turkey too.
I'll definitely be looking out for these in the shops. They may have only just arrived in the Uk but I can see them giving the big name snacks a run for their money.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £1.99 for 100g
for more information : http://www.sakata.com/, follow them on twitter @sakatacrackers or on facebook at www.facebook.com/sakatacrackers
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You've converted me! :) Want to try the sour cream ones, yummm!
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