Have you ever stopped to think about how strange it is that we’ve built a massive industry around thinly sliced, deep-fried potatoes that sometimes barely taste like potatoes? Potato chips, along with many other mass-produced foods, can be flavored to be almost anything these days. If you prefer ‘plain,’ ‘vanilla,’ ‘original,’ or ‘ready salted,’ you might be seen as the most boring person around. But after seeing this list of flavor options, maybe being boring isn’t so bad.
Lay’s Cappuccino Flavored Potato Chips
One of the minor annoyances of enjoying a cappuccino is the milky mustache you get when you set the cup down. But thanks to the geniuses at Frito-Lay’s, you never have to worry about that again! Now you can just eat your cappuccino in potato chip form.
Or at least you could have, if the American public had gone wild for it and voted it in as Frito-Lay’s newest regular flavor. This odd flavor was one of four potential new tastes the company offered for a public vote, along with mango salsa, cheddar bacon mac ’n’ cheese, and wasabi ginger (the eventual winner). The cappuccino chips were almost universally disliked, receiving terrible reviews from food writers and coffee lovers alike, even though the milk-foam art on the bag was expertly poured by a barista from the fancy Chicago coffee shop Wormhole.
Beefdrinker Teriyaki Beef Jerky Flavored Soda
You might have heard of using sugary soda to make beef jerky, so why not a soda that tastes like beef jerky? Teriyaki beef, to be exact—the flavor is from Japan, but the soda is made in America.
Described as ‘surprisingly sweet’ (which arguably makes it worse), this soda seems like a novelty item for people who love pranking their friends. However, considering the popularity of the hot beef-flavored beverage ‘Bovril’ among older soccer fans in England, maybe Beefdrinker could explore that market. Could they become the shirt sponsors for Manchester United one day? Probably not; Chevrolet could probably outbid them, at least for now.
Grey Candy Canes
For those who aren’t satisfied with just their drunken relatives ruining Christmas, novelty confectioners Archie Mcphee offer a line of oddly flavored candy canes. One flavor is guaranteed to make for an interesting culinary experience at the Christmas table: clams—a muddy shellfish flavor. That’s sure to do it.
But that flavor dates back to 2018; surely, they’ve come up with more sane flavors since then, right? A quick look at their website will quickly disabuse you of that notion. Ketchup, shiitake mushroom, and even kale-flavored candy canes are now available for purchase. Let’s hope no Listverse readers are so malevolent as to buy these for a 2024 ‘Secret Santa’ gift…
Cadbury’s Vegemite Flavored Chocolate Bar
Vegemite (and its northern hemisphere cousin Marmite, essentially the same thing—both are made from yeast extract) truly divides opinion. Some see it as a dark, salty, gooey, savory treat to spread on toast or in a sandwich. Others think it tastes like an old, dirty shoe. How could such a product become even more controversial, given this well-established split in public opinion? By shoving it inside a beloved chocolate bar, of course.
Cadbury chocolate is perhaps the best-loved chocolate brand in the world. Fans of both Vegemite and Cadbury must have freaked out when, back in 2015, the two brands combined to release the limited-edition Cadbury Dairy Milk with a Vegemite caramel center. Haters of the tangy, savory spread would have been equally outraged. Marketing-wise, it was a smart move; the company reported a big increase in brand engagement over the limited period. People were once again talking about Cadbury, even if it was to damn them to the fiery pits of hell for ruining their tasty treats.
Mustard Flavored Ice Cream
Heston Blumenthal is one of the world’s leading chefs. He’s famous for pushing the boundaries of gastronomy with his innovative dishes at his 3-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, England. Eating snail porridge or parsnip cereal is typical fare for such a fancy restaurant, but would you expect to find it mass-produced in a popular supermarket chain? Believe it.
Created to accompany savory dishes like soups or charcuterie, Heston Blumenthal’s creation aims to bring some fine-dining flair to home cooking or to capitalize on the pretentious love of big names and novelty.
Hot dog vendors could use this as inspiration to finally break into the frozen dessert market so jealously guarded by those dastardly ice cream trucks.
Lay’s Cucumber Flavored Potato Chips
Could there be a plainer option than ‘salted’ in the potato chip world? Turns out there is: cucumber flavor. China’s other potato chip flavor offerings are a mixed bag. Flavors like ‘Beef Noodle’ and ‘Roasted Chicken Wing’ sound pretty good. ‘Grilled Squid’ and ‘Blueberry’(!), not so much. At least those are actual flavors, additions to the chip that will taste of something. Apart from a mild grassy note above the potato, one cannot imagine that a cucumber potato chip would taste like much of anything at all.
Next up for Lay’s China: Natural Spring Water Flavored chips.
Scotch and Cigar Flavored Cupcakes
This entry comes with a touch of sadness. New York bakery ‘Prohibition’ was a foodie destination for eight years, attracting cupcake lovers, growing in popularity, winning awards, and even releasing a cookbook. With a loyal following even before opening the bakery, selling their innovative desserts at the Hester Street Fair, customers would queue around the block to purchase their special and limited-edition baked goods. However, one recurring favorite sounds rather strange.
The ‘Scotch and Cigar’ cupcake was only available in-store and limited to one per customer. It was also age-restricted—the frosting was made with Laphroaig scotch whiskey (a ‘peaty’ malt that tastes a bit like hot mud – an acquired taste, to say the least). But the boozy frosting wasn’t the weirdest thing here. The cake itself was flavored with molasses, black pepper, and infused with actual tobacco. If you’ve ever accidentally sipped beer that someone has dropped a cigarette butt into, this probably won’t appeal to you.
Aside from that one weird flavor, the rest of their offerings sounded delicious. Sadly, the bakery has since closed. Co-owner Leslie Feinberg stated that “…the dessert scene was moving in a direction that I wasn’t interested in.” Fair enough, but like many other recently shuttered small independent businesses in the Big Apple, it’s sad to see them go.
Refreshing Ramune Soda
What better way to cool off on a hot day than by chugging an ice-cold soda from a beautifully sculpted glass bottle? How about a soda that tastes like curry powder?
Ramune has been making carbonated beverages for the Japanese public since 1884 when a Scottish pharmacist named Alexander Cameron Sim introduced the people of Kobe to lemonade (‘ramune’ is the Japanese pronunciation of ‘lemonade’).
They’ve created some pretty wild flavors over the years—’cream stew,’ ‘kimchi,’ and ‘chili oil’ are among the weirdest. But no other flavor seems more opposed to the original idea of a fresh, thirst-quenching lemonade than ‘curry soda.’
Just a Normal Beer From Iceland
Started in 2012, Brugghus Steðja has a decent range of delightful-sounding beers, made with pure Icelandic water sourced from their very own family-owned spring (some of the best, purest water on the planet, apparently). Then you have the whale testicle beer—oh, so whale balls aren’t gross enough for you? What about whale balls smoked in sheep crap? That’s what the brewery uses to brew one of their most popular ales…. as you could probably guess, animal rights activists were outraged by this.
Despite the controversy seemingly not affecting the brewery’s sales, the fact that smoked whale testicles are banned in most EU countries certainly did. How could one of their most popular beers find its way abroad, raking in some of those sweet euros for the small brewery? Well, in a stroke of genius (madness?), they decided to use sheep shit-smoked rams’ balls in their ‘Steðji Hrútur’ export beer instead. Much better.
Fancy Gumballs
Nobody feels fancy when chewing gum. In fact, people are often looked down upon for the habit. Now, thanks to those geniuses of novelty foodstuffs at Archie Mcphee (they’ve done it again!), you can now be the fanciest person in the room while chewing gum. In fact, you’ll be fancy because of the gum! What flavor could it possibly be? Champagne? Black truffle? Afternoon Tea?
Wrong. These are foie gras flavored, you peasant.
French delicacy foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks (historically geese, but ducks are more common now) until they develop an engorged, fatty liver. The liver is then consumed like a pate.
If the idea of force-fed duck/goose liver-flavored gumballs weirds you out, don’t worry—you’re normal. Still, if you want to be a real aristocrat, why not give these a go? Either that, or you could get some veal-flavored vape liquid…
From cappuccino-flavored chips to foie gras gumballs, the world of food flavors never ceases to surprise. These bizarre creations push the boundaries of taste, often sparking controversy and debate. Whether you’re a culinary adventurer or someone who prefers the classics, it’s fascinating to see how far food innovation can go.
What’s the weirdest food flavor you’ve ever tried? Leave your comment below!
