Any chip shop worth its salt knows that a fry is judged by its taste and crispiness. But it's impossible to maintain the 'crisp' integrity when chips, or fries, are doused in a steady stream of vinegar by heavy-handed acid-lovers.
It was a quandary that British chip shop owner Lefteris Eleftheriou decided to solve once and for all with the help of food scientists.
And after a few experiments in the food labs of Kerry Ingredients and Flavours and some in-store taste testing, Eleftheriou - who owns award-winning fish and chip shop Grimsby Fisheries in Leicestershire - developed a 'dry sprinkle' that looks like salt and tastes like vinegar but leaves fries intact.
In an interview with local online publication This is Leicestershire , Eleftheriou said the product also contains a third less sodium than regular salt.
Multinational corporation Kerry Group, meanwhile, will be developing the packaging and is currently considering how to market the product, the story reports.
Meanwhile, though not yet sold commercially, the sprinkle is available at Grimsby Fisheries where customers like Seraphino Fernandez said, "Why didn't anybody think of this before? I think it's great. I can't tell the difference," reports This is Leicestershire.
A quick search however, indicates that Eleftheriou may not have gotten the news when J & D's - the same company that sells bacon salt - came out with a malt salt that was specially developed for the age-old soggy chips dilemma.
Though not created for the same application, Canadian specialty foods and seasonings producer Club House also has a salt and vinegar-flavored popcorn seasoning.
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