I’m a ketchup gal. I love ketchup on eggs. I love ketchup on hot dogs (sue me, Chicago). I’d probably even enjoy ketchup ice cream. I’m exaggerating (slightly), but you get the idea. When I heard of ketchup chips, I got really excited; I stopped short of dumping a bottle of Heinz on a bag of Lay’s, but I knew I had to find them.
I didn’t want to drive all the way up to Canada (I’m living in Kansas at the moment, and that’s a bit of a drive), but I wanted—no, needed—to try these chips. I wrote this to document the journey of one ketchup fiend to find the holy grail of Canadian foods—ketchup chips.
The Holy Grail of Potato Chips: My Journey Begins
My quest began where any great quest begins in the 21st century: On the internet. I've recently joined a Discord server dedicated to Canadian musician Grimes (yes, Elon Musk’s ex—I don’t want to talk about it). I’m not going to tell you what my username was (privacy, people), but it may have been ketchup-related.
Other users quickly picked up on my passion for the world’s most underrated condiment, and the Canadians among them said things like “Ketchup girl! You must love ketchup chips, eh?” (I’m paraphrasing, here).
To their surprise, I’d never heard of these Canadian “ketchup chips” in my life—but I was immediately intrigued. Ketchup tastes amazing with French fries, so why wouldn’t it taste great on another potato snack?
I talked more to my new Canadian friends, and they told me that ketchup chips are available everywhere in the Great White North, from New Brunswick to British Columbia. Grocery stores here in Kansas? Not a ketchup chip in sight.
My Quest for Ketchup Chips: Scouring the Shelves
At this point, I knew I had to get my hands on a bag of ketchup chips. My quest took me to stores throughout Kansas; convenience stores, grocery stores, and specialty snack stores. I looked high and low for ketchup chips but to no avail.
For a potato chip that’s so widely available on the Canadian market, I was surprised that I couldn’t find anything on the store shelves. I knew what I had to do. The internet had brought me on this quest; the internet would be the key to completing it.
After some thorough Googling, I found the site you’re reading this little personal essay on—Caffeine Cam’s. I had a few criteria for ordering my ketchup chips; the site I ordered from needed to have reasonable prices, and they needed to stock the brands of ketchup chips my Canadian friends had told me about—most importantly, Old Dutch and Lay’s.
I waited a few days—and then bliss! My package, lovingly filled with bags of ketchup chips, arrived.
The End of the Quest: My First Taste of Ketchup Chips
I bought three different kinds of ketchup chips: Old Dutch, Lay’s, and Pringles. The Lay’s were my absolute favorite, but there’s something you need to know about ketchup chips:
They don’t taste like ketchup. Not quite, anyway.
These chips taste like ketchup that’s been deconstructed; you get the vinegar-y, acidic taste of ketchup and the sweet flavor of cooked tomatoes and sugar, along with a whole lot of salt.
I absolutely loved these chips; I ate through more bags than I’m willing to tell you in a shorter time than I want to admit. I’ve already ordered another batch of Lay's ketchup chips.
I’m still in touch with some of my Canadian friends, and they’ve started whispering to me about another delicious chip flavor they only have up north: All Dressed. I sense another chip quest on the horizon—and I couldn’t be more excited.
