So using the word "magic" in the product brand might be a bit of hyperbole, but the relatively new Lay's "India's Magic Masala" does offer up a potato chip flavor that is uncommon for chips here in the United States.
No, we didn't recently come back from India and bring the chips with us. ... Shelley was at an eye appointment with one of our kids, and as happens in this COVID world, they had to wait in the parking lot before they could go into the office. So, to kill time, they visited a little Indian market that was located just across the parking lot.
And so because she knows that I love masala so much she picked them up for a surprise in my lunch that she packs each day. (I know ... I'm spoiled rotten, right!)
And surprised I was ... but also a bit dismayed by my reaction. It made me realize that we Americans often think we are the only ones to have something ... i.e. potato chips. Well, of course, Lay's a multi-million-dollar international corporation is going to produce potato chips with different flavors for other countries around the world. But it's going to be produced by its Frito-Lay division in India! ... But that is not something I generally think about.
Interestingly, Lay's doesn't even list the chip flavor on its U.S. website, but I found a few international websites that describe "India's Magic Masala" as the most popular flavor of potato chip in India. So I didn't even know that we were missing out!
Anyway, enough of that rabbit hole. ... Getting back to the chips!
And the verdict is ...
"A little spicier than your average American flavors ... But it doesn't remind me of what we think masala tastes like." ... That's exactly what I texted Shelley after trying them, and sums up my feelings.
Admittedly, I like very bold flavors. Flavors that make you sit upright and go, "Dang!" So I assume others would find the "India's Magic Masala" very flavorful. ... Like my mother. Ketchup is spicy to her. So there's no way she's eating these.
I had a hard time describing the flavors as, again, it didn't remind me of the masala dishes that I've had here in the Upper Midwest. But who knows how authentic those are, right?
But a Lay's fansite that catalogues the company's various potato chip flavors throughout the world, describe the chip as: "There’s an initial hint of rotten egg smell mixed with spices, but once you get past that, the flavor is a strangely compelling."
And Frito-Lay of India describes the flavor as "hints of cumin, coriander, chili powder, onion and garlic."
Interestingly, I did not get hit with an rotten egg smell, but I would agree that the flavor was "compelling."
I certainly would rank many other Lay's potato chip flavors above "India's Magic Masala," but I was grateful for the multicultural lesson that reminded me that not every, single thing is developed for American tastes. ... And I am grateful for that!
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