It’s one of those things that you taste and go, “Damn! Why didn’t someone think of this sooner?”
We bought a bag of Wasabi Doritos at our local Costco the other day, and though I try not to over-indulge, they’re hard to resist. I’ve always considered Nacho Doritos the perfect American snack chip. But I think Wasabi Doritos outdoes them. They’re what you’d expect: Crunchy, salty and satisfying, but instead of cheesy they have the flash of wasabi that floods your mouth and makes you go “aaaaaah.”
Wasabi’s no stranger to the U.S. Ever since sushi became mainstream in the 1990s and made for the most memorable of the early 2000s’ Budweiser “Whassup” TV commercials (see below), Americans have embraced the green glob of fiery horseradish that you mix with soy sauce to dip sushi.
Wasabi’s a common snack flavor in Japan already, as anyone who shops at Asian groceries in the U.S. knows. You can find wasabi-coated peas and wasabi-flavored rice crackers that can bring the familiar horseradish burn that makes you inhale (and sometimes cough) and brings a tear to your eye.
Frito-Lay originally produced wasabi-flavored Doritos for consumption in Japan, and apparently tested them briefly in the U.S. in 2010, because a Facebook group, “Frito Lay: Bring Wasabi Doritos to the USA! Permanently,” was started. Recent comments show that Costco across the country is now selling them, so it looks like the company has decided it’s worth diving into the U.S. market with the cool new hot flavor. Fans of the stuff no longer need to import them from Japan — at least for now. Frito Lay’s website currently lists 19 different flavors of Doritos (the Late Night Cheeseburger is a favorite, although it’s not always available at our local supermarket), but Wasabi Doritos ain’t one of them.
Just in case Frito-Lay pulls them off the market, we might have to go and buy up a bunch of bags from area Costcos and stock up.
(As a side note, almost all the wasabi we eat in the U.S. and much in Japan and the rest of the world isn’t real grated wasabi root, which is hard to grow and expensive. The green globs we crave are more common horseradish with green food coloring added.)
Budweiser Whassup! Commercial (Wasabi) by NakedBrotha2007
(Cross-posted from my Posterous blog, where I post more and often shorter bits and pieces about Asian and Asian American culture and issues.)
Not normaly a spicy chip eater. My wife picked these up by accident at Costco in Oahu and oh my were they good. Off they diet for the rest of our trip, I went back twice for a total of 5 bags more. Lots of relatives and friends in town and they devoured them. Took a bag to a bachelor party. Plenty of other snacks. pizza, beer and some tequilla left over but not a single wasabi dorito left. Seriously addictive.
Great anecdote! They’re already gone here in Denver. Hope they come back….
Costco was doing aWasabi Doritos tasting yesterday. The gentleman manning the station says, “I’m not going to make any money today. I get paid by the hour and, if these things keep selling this fast, I’ll have to go home early.”
I always liked Doritos, but these are beyond delicious.
OMG…they are totally my new favorite snack. We also found them at Costco last month. I keep going back to get more. I am going to be very upset if they don’t continue to carry them. Going to write to Frito lay now…
Tried these chips at a friends house a couple of months ago and, I fell in love..Can”t find them in a Costco near me…..Bummer…..my friend had originally picked them up in VA. Does anyone know if they have spotted these awesome chips in NJ yet???
I think Costco stopped stocking them now…. search for the Facebook page about the chips. I think any sightings are posted there first:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/76848550389/?ref=ts