Mmmmm, potato chips.
Mmmmm, potato chips. avantrend/CC0

Mackie’s of Scotland Potato Crisps, a potato chip producer based in Perthshire, knows their audience. Alongside more staid varieties (salt & vinegar; chili pepper) they offer chip flavors like “roast ham,” “prawn cocktail,” and “whisky and haggis.”

Soon, they’ll even have a bag suitable for dessert: they’re about to start churning out strawberry-flavored potato chips.

The flavor started out as an April Fool’s Day joke, but after a tip from their distributor in China that the country’s snackers were “veering towards sweet flavors within crisps,” the company decided to develop them, Mackie’s commercial director, James Taylor, told the Courier.

After samples they sent to an industry trade show there proved a “massive success,” they decided to begin selling them, along with a salted-caramel variety. At first, the new flavors will only be available in China—but the company hasn’t ruled out making them more widely available.

At least one other company, Koikeya of Japan, has tried a strawberry chip before, to mixed reviews. Reactions to Mackie’s new flavor have thus far been more positive. “It tastes like strawberry ice cream but in a crisp,” one UK-based taster told the Courier. “I think I would buy that actually.”

Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that’s only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.

Gastro Obscura covers the world’s most wondrous food and drink.
Sign up for our email, delivered twice a week.