Vegetable chip

Vegetable chips (also referred to as veggie chips)^[1][2] are chips (crisps) that are prepared using vegetables other than potatoes. Vegetable chips may be fried, deep-fried, dehydrated, dried, or baked. Many different root vegetables or leaf vegetables may be used. Vegetable chips may be eaten as a snack food and may accompany other foods such as dips, or be used as a topping on dishes. In the United States, vegetable chips are often mass-produced, with many brands marketed to consumers.

While potato chips are technically considered "vegetable chips", since they are the most common form of chips, any other kind of vegetable-based chip is grouped in a separate category.

Preparation and ingredients

Vegetable chips may be prepared with sliced vegetables that are fried, deep-fried, baked,^[3][4] dehydrated,^[5] or simply dried.^[6] Vegetable chips may be produced from a variety of root vegetables and leaf vegetables,^[7] such as carrot, turnip, swede, parsnip, parsley root, chervil root, celery root (celeriac), beetroot, radish, Jerusalem artichoke, taro, malanga, eddoe, sweet potato, butternut squash, onion, garlic,^[1][3][4][7] courgette,^[8] yam, cassava,^[9] kale, spinach, fennel,^[2][3][4] and jicama,^[10] among others. Some baked versions utilize vegetables that are sliced, lightly tossed in oil, and then oven-baked until crisp.^[2] Vegetable chips prepared using this method have been described as more healthful compared to deep-fried chips, particularly when prepared using "heart-healthy" olive oil.^[2]

Simple versions are prepared by slicing vegetables and drying them,^[6] without any cooking involved. Sometimes a mandoline is used to slice vegetables for vegetable chips, which can accommodate thin slicing and enhance size consistency.^[11] Vegetable chips may be flavored with spices such as salt, sea salt, pepper, cajun spice, curry, allspice, chipotle powder, sweet or smoked paprika, adobo seasoning, dried chives, and many others.^[2] Mass-produced varieties may contain food preservatives or monosodium glutamate.^[12] Vegetable chips can be homemade^[12] using various recipes and preparation processes.

• Vegetable chips
• 
  Carrot chips
• 
  Cassava chips in chili sauce in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
• 
  Jerusalem artichoke chips (at top-left)
• 
  Zucchini chips
• 
  Peperoni cruschi chips from Basilicata, Italy

Carrot chips

Carrot chips are carrots that have been fried^[5] or dehydrated. Some U.S. companies mass-produce and purvey carrot chips to consumers, such as Connecticut Country Fair Snacks, Ltd. and Caroff Foods Corporation, among others.^[a][14]

Cassava chips

Cassava chips are a common food in much of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo,^[15] Ghana^[16] and Malawi.^[17] In Ghana, cassava chips are called konkonte.^[b] Dried cassava chips are also used to supplement the carbohydrate content of livestock feed in Ghana.^[18] In Malawi, cassava chips are prepared by soaking cassava, slicing it, and then letting it dry.^[17] This is the primary means by which cassava is transported to markets from production areas.^[17]

In addition to preparing cassava chips from thinly sliced raw cassava root that is then immediately fried or deep-fried,^[19] chips may be prepared in a multi-stage process, starting with a dough made from cassava flour.^[9] The dough is steamed, thinly sliced, dried, and then fried in oil.^[9] This style of cassava flour chips is a popular food in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.^[16][9]

Kale chips

Kale chips became popular with the food trend that emphasized kale for its nutritional value. A leaf rather than a root or a tuber, kale chips usually contain oil and salt, and sometimes seasonings or flavorings.

Bittergourd chips

Bittergourd chips are made from a plant common in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The chips are made from the fruit of the plant, which are sliced and sun-dried, or coated with batter and fried.^[20]

Consumption and uses

Vegetable chips may be consumed as a snack food,^[21] and may be accompanied by various dips such as salsa, guacamole, and bean dips.^[4] They are also used as a topping for soups, salads, and other dishes.^[21]

Mass production

In the United States, varieties of vegetable chips are mass-produced and purveyed in supermarkets.^[2]

Brands and companies

Brands of vegetable chips (other than potato chips) include Calbee, Beanitos, Terra, Food Should Taste Good,^[22] JicaChips,^[10] Sensible Portions,^[23] Tyrrells,^[24] and Uprooted, among others.^[25] As of February 2016, Kettle Foods produces the Uprooted brand of vegetable chips made from sweet potatoes, including varieties with and without the addition of beets and parsnips.^[25] The product is "lightly seasoned with oil and sea salt".^[25] Marketing of the product to consumers began circa February 2016.^[25]

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vegetable chips.

• McWilliams, M. (2012). The Story Behind the Dish: Classic American Foods. Greenwood. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-313-38509-4.
• Simone, Rose (April 23, 2015). "Martin's explores production of vegetable chips". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved April 25, 2015.

This page was last edited on 12 January 2024, at 00:51