Interesting/"artisanal" versions of classic snacks to buy online?
November 7, 2021 7:04 AM Subscribe
I'm trying to think of a fun gift for a snack-lover with a more traditional/classic palate, so I'm looking for something that's an interesting, or "artisanal," or fancier version of "normal" savory snacks (like popcorn, chips, Chex mixes, pretzels). Maybe something slightly less well-known than the UK flavors of crisps? Not too spicy or weird, though. I've seen those international snack subscriptions, and that's NOT what I'm looking for. Also, needs to be something I can purchase online (or at least have shipped to a mainland U.S. address).
Cleveland's Campbell's Sweets does several varieties of popcorn. ("Dichotomy", the mix of caramel and cheddar, is the one where every time I buy some I'm just like, "Welp, I guess I'm eating an entire bag of popcorn now.")
posted by soundguy99 at 7:22 AM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by soundguy99 at 7:22 AM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Garrett brand popcorn is a pretty common slightly-special snack locally. The "mix" is the traditonal choice. It's too sweet for me, but loved by many.
If meat jerky is of interest, Tanka's buffalo products are very nice. They're not at all spicy.
posted by eotvos at 7:36 AM on November 7, 2021
If meat jerky is of interest, Tanka's buffalo products are very nice. They're not at all spicy.
posted by eotvos at 7:36 AM on November 7, 2021
Best answer: I love crunchy stuff and have given it as a gift a lot.
Route 11 chips from Virginia are just the right thickness - more than a standard chip, not as much as some kettle brands - and perfectly crunchy. Don't miss the Chesapeake Crab, flavored with an Old Bay-like mixture.
The Peanut Shoppe of Williamsburg is always a winner with giftees too. Unusually large, perfectly-roasted peanuts.
Kurkure is a Frito-Lay/PepsiCo brand from India. Like Chee-tos, but with Indian flavors. Some are spicy and some are not. You'd probably want to try them in advance to see if they'd be okay. It would not be an unpleasant experience!
Mirch Masala is a brand of Indian snacks with a great assortment. Try these:
- peanut bhujia, which is peanuts fried with a chickpea flour coating
- boondi, tiny spheres of a fried chickpea flour batter (not spicy)
- sev, chickpea flour noodles (spicy or not)
- onion pakora, crunchy thick curls of wheat flavored with onion and garlic - if you like sesame sticks you'll like these
- chukri - another thick curl, this one of rice/wheat, another a sesame-stick lover would like
- Punjabi mix, which is fried noodles, flakes, lentils, peas, a great agglomeration of crunchy stuff
Papad, which are (usually) urad dal wafers, very thin and brittle and savory/salty. These take a little preparation - you can microwave them, cook them over a gas flame/burner, or deep-fry them. Microwaving them works perfectly well. They're very nice dipped in sweet and tangy date & tamarind chutney or herbal and spicy coriander chutney.
My all-time favorite Indian snack is Hot Mix, but you definitely have to like spicy food to enjoy it.
A couple places I discovered when we lived in Fresno:
Valley Pistachio does plain and flavored pistachios. The garlic-flavored pistachios are terrific.
Circle K Ranch does nice assortments of nuts and dried fruit.
posted by jocelmeow at 8:37 AM on November 7, 2021 [7 favorites]
Route 11 chips from Virginia are just the right thickness - more than a standard chip, not as much as some kettle brands - and perfectly crunchy. Don't miss the Chesapeake Crab, flavored with an Old Bay-like mixture.
The Peanut Shoppe of Williamsburg is always a winner with giftees too. Unusually large, perfectly-roasted peanuts.
Kurkure is a Frito-Lay/PepsiCo brand from India. Like Chee-tos, but with Indian flavors. Some are spicy and some are not. You'd probably want to try them in advance to see if they'd be okay. It would not be an unpleasant experience!
Mirch Masala is a brand of Indian snacks with a great assortment. Try these:
- peanut bhujia, which is peanuts fried with a chickpea flour coating
- boondi, tiny spheres of a fried chickpea flour batter (not spicy)
- sev, chickpea flour noodles (spicy or not)
- onion pakora, crunchy thick curls of wheat flavored with onion and garlic - if you like sesame sticks you'll like these
- chukri - another thick curl, this one of rice/wheat, another a sesame-stick lover would like
- Punjabi mix, which is fried noodles, flakes, lentils, peas, a great agglomeration of crunchy stuff
Papad, which are (usually) urad dal wafers, very thin and brittle and savory/salty. These take a little preparation - you can microwave them, cook them over a gas flame/burner, or deep-fry them. Microwaving them works perfectly well. They're very nice dipped in sweet and tangy date & tamarind chutney or herbal and spicy coriander chutney.
My all-time favorite Indian snack is Hot Mix, but you definitely have to like spicy food to enjoy it.
A couple places I discovered when we lived in Fresno:
Valley Pistachio does plain and flavored pistachios. The garlic-flavored pistachios are terrific.
Circle K Ranch does nice assortments of nuts and dried fruit.
posted by jocelmeow at 8:37 AM on November 7, 2021 [7 favorites]
This may not be interesting enough for your purposes, but for gourmet snacks, I tend to think of Harry and David.
posted by reren at 8:46 AM on November 7, 2021
posted by reren at 8:46 AM on November 7, 2021
I buy fancy homemade marshmallows on Etsy sometimes, most recently from Viveltre. They have several flavors, all that I've tried were delicious! They come in a nice presentation box.
posted by dorey_oh at 11:35 PM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by dorey_oh at 11:35 PM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Does it need to be ready-to-eat? For a popcorn lover you could do a lot worse than to send a care package with a Whirly Pop, an interesting heirloom varietal popcorn (I like the blue varieties) and some super-fine popcorn salt (Yoder's is pretty good.)
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:49 PM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:49 PM on November 7, 2021 [1 favorite]
Depending on where they live, these might be available in their local stores and thus not that interesting, but if they don't live in a region where they're commonly available: I like the Pretzel Shells made by Unique Snacks. I'm not so wild about their "Splits" or "Sourdough Rings", though. Amazon has them, though their current pricing is a bit ridiculous.
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:53 PM on November 7, 2021
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:53 PM on November 7, 2021
Best answer: Pretzels.com has a whole bunch of interesting flavors.
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:38 AM on November 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:38 AM on November 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Late to the thread, but here to recommend Fastachi, a small Boston-based snack company with the most delightful, small-batch roasted nuts and snacks ever.
posted by acridrabbit at 12:44 PM on November 9, 2021
posted by acridrabbit at 12:44 PM on November 9, 2021
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posted by magicbus at 7:09 AM on November 7, 2021 [2 favorites]