05.29.10
O!Karto Italian Potato Chips (chili chili)
We’re stepping a little off culture this week with the Korean based Orion’s O!Karto. First off, isn’t O!Karto the best name? I can’t decide if it’s O [the exclamation] Karto [some sort of maybe potato sounding word] or if this is a word in a language that uses clicks as regular sounds, represented here by the exclamation point. O [glottal stop click] Karto. Either seems to fit and it really doesn’t matter why, we picked them up anyhow. O!Karto!
We initially picked these up because of the name and since they were only a dollar we picked up two; one for munching and one for reviewing. I tell you, the package for reviewing very nearly didn’t make it because these fellas are tasty! They are also neatly tubular in a squared off sort of way and awfully reminiscent of Pringles in their makeup. They have that same processed potato slurry type feel to them but are quite a bit lighter and airier than Pringles. Think of them as a hybrid Pringles Funyon cross. Also, how cool is it that they are shaped in square tubes? One could, I suppose, suck up dip through their straw like shape if one was inclined to. I haven’t tried that yet but I still have half a bag left and the night is young.
As for the chili chili, they have that covered too. One O!Karto tube is tangy with a good chili pepper bite to it. Two O!Karto (O!Kartos? O!Kartoes? I have no idea what the plural is) are tangy with an exponentially bitey chili taste. After a while and several many chips the burn lingers chili awesome in your mouth. Mmmm! And remember…
We’re not talking any potatoes, we’re talking high quality potatoes.
As My Favorite Guinea Pig says, “They are tubular Pringles, what’s NOT to like about them?” The only thing I can think of is that I am rapidly running out of chips in my reviewing bag. Om nom nom!
Rating of 4.5 Wasabi Peas out of a possible 5.
princess_neko said,
July 25, 2010 at 5:08 am
ohh i’ve yet to try this one!
my local asian store onli stock the italian gratin flavour 🙁
Laura said,
August 2, 2010 at 6:36 pm
These were my absolute favorite when I visited Korea a couple of years ago and I was so happy to find them in a local Korean market the other day. My boyfriend even liked them and he’s picky about chips. Now he’s going to be upset because I just finished our last bag!
Disney175 Club Penguin said,
September 7, 2010 at 2:39 am
Those r soo yumm!
I love ’em!
I can eat a whole pack!!!!
Max said,
November 6, 2010 at 10:34 pm
I’m eating these right now, SO DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Down at my local Korean supermarket, i usually endevor into the unknown chip and cookie isle. This was a good grab, make sure you try some!
Christine said,
June 23, 2011 at 1:41 am
GAHH!!!
my friend gav me these chips one and I remember loving them!
I saw looking for these chips because they tasted so good, that I spent 4 hours at different stores when I finally found them at Assi!
OHMYGOODNESS!!!
the spicy version of these chips are my absolute favorite and I love the,. I’m not a big fan of chips but I LOVE O!Karto
Sulara Abbasi said,
November 29, 2011 at 9:57 am
Dude!!! I buy them $3/ bag. Where can i get them cheaper?
Boo said,
November 29, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I found these at my local Korean store (Manan if you are in the Ann Arbor area) but other than that, looks like you will have to pop in on the more Korean of shopping places Sulara.