New York Chips Salamida State Fair Spiedie Sauce - Chip Review

Well-sprinkled flecks of "spiedie seasoning"

I can’t think of a better canvas to “paint” indigenous flavors on than that of a ridged potato chip. Ever since George Crum first fried up a plate of crispy sliced spuds for Anderson Cooper’s super wealthy great-great grandfather, potato chips have become the national snack. From sea to shining sea, culinary artists have plastered their starchy plant tuber paintings with delicious, dehydrated spices & seasonings making chips a part of our cultural zeitgeist. It’s a given you can easily find BBQ, salt & vinegar or sour cream and onion in any quickie mart or supermarket throughout the country. But it’s when you take that detour off the beaten path and stumble upon a rural general store in the middle of nowhere or some bumpkin food stand where you can find local flavors made by obscure brands which have been around for generations.

Interstate 81 isn’t exactly a dirt road, and I wouldn't call Binghamton a podunk town, but I am certain the Spiedie flavored chip is little known outside of New York’s Southern Tier, which is a shame, because it's pretty freakin good!

Does it really taste like a spiedie?

For those of you that don't know what a spiedie is, let alone know what one tastes like, I say shame on you and honestly start reading my ish cause I wrote about it. But here's the CliifNotes version. An Irish immigrant Camillo Iacovelli, nahhh I'm joking he was Italian, is credited with bringing the spiedie to America in the 1930's when he started serving marinated chunks of chargrilled meat on a long roll. Simple yet delicious, the sandwich's popularity crew throughout the "Triple Cities" area. Fast forward to today, over 80 years later, the spiedie continues to be Binghamton's Philly Cheesesteak.

In 2020 New York Chips brand & The Rob Salamida Co married forces to introduce the Salamida State Fair Spiedie Sauce potato chip capturing the essence of the New York State's decades old foodigenous. Kinda.

The Review:

The Actual Chip: All the potatoes are grown locally in New York state by the Marquart Family who have been farming since 1943. Thick, ridged chips cooked in vegetable oil with girth and are stout for loading on dips. The flecks of Italian seasoning from

Salamida's State Fair Sauce are visible in all the potatoes crinkled valleys.

Crunch: Audible sound with each chomp.

Taste: Okay, here's the rub. The seasoning is "right on" and tastes a lot like the familiar Italian herb marinade used on all spiedies, with a little extra salt. But there is a moment when eating the real thing, seconds before your teeth bite down into the juicy meat, when the smoky aroma of char sucks into your open mouth and up into your nose pairing perfectly with each chew. That is missing. And I don't think that a liquid smoke with properly substitute for that tasty phenomenon.

Fingers: You're going to have to rub your herb crusted off fingers on your pants without fear of leaving oil stains.

Overall this is a quality regional chip that tastes familiar but not as good as the real thing. It's definitely worth a try.