Paprika Chips

One of my favorite things about travel is discovering new foods.  Everywhere little town or region in Europe has its own cuisine or, at least, its own dish that makes it famous.

I enjoy regional cuisine so much, I centered much of my novel, Truffle Hunt, on the Italian and Croatian dishes prepared in the Istrian Peninsula.  

This post isn’t about any exotic or local dish.  It’s about something you can get practically anywhere.  Potato chips.  

But, these are a very specific kind of potato chips.  Paprika chips.  

You see, when we are traveling, Karen and I will often skip lunch.  We grab a little snack while we’re out exploring, maybe grab a piece of fruit or some french fries.  

Once, in Italy, we bought a small bag of potato chips to tide us over until dinner.  These chips were sprinkled with paprika, one of our favorite spices that we often cook with at home.  And we loved them!  I think we had two or three bags each during the rest of the trip.

When we got home, I figured I’d be able to get paprika chips at the local grocery store.  No luck.  Even the box stores didn’t carry them, and they carry everything!  

I started looking online and still no luck.  That is, until I found someone who sells them in England.  And they ship to the U.S.!  A little bag of chips ended up costing me $11, but the treat was worth it.

So, when we went to France and the UK in October, Karen secretly bought a couple cans of paprika chips and hid them in her luggage.  On Christmas, I was surprised to find them in my stocking!  So, we enjoyed them with a glass of prosecco and truffle risotto.  Never say potato chips aren’t haute cuisine. 

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.