Kingston's Spicy Cassava Chips, 80g

Kingston's Spicy Cassava Chips are thin slices of cassava root, fried and dusted with a chilli seasoning: the snack sold as mogo chips in East African and Indian shops and as yuca chips in Latin America. This is the 80g bag. The full product name on the pack is chilli flavoured, deep fried thinly sliced cassava roots.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from cassava (97%), chilli seasoning and palm oil. The listing does not break the chilli seasoning down into its own ingredients.

What cassava is

Cassava is the long, brown skinned root of a tropical shrub, the plant tapioca comes from, with dense, starchy white flesh. Fried in thin slices, it makes a hard, glassy chip with a mild, nutty flavour.

The chilli

The chilli seasoning gives the chips a red dusting and a warm, spicy finish. Chilli on fried cassava is a classic street food pairing, with lemon and salt, in East Africa.

Palm oil

The chips are fried in palm oil, the only oil on the list. Palm oil is rich in saturated fat, which is why the saturates are red while the total fat is amber.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 452 kcal (1891 kJ), 15g of fat, 7.1g of saturates, 76g of carbohydrate, 1.5g of sugars, 2.4g of protein and 0.83g of salt per 100g. The listing gives no fibre figure.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 15g is amber, saturates at 7.1g are red, sugars at 1.5g are green and salt at 0.83g is amber.

Carbohydrate and fat

Cassava is very starchy, so the chips carry 76g of carbohydrate per 100g and 15g of fat. Walkers Max Sizzling Flame Grilled Steak, a fried potato crisp we stock, gives 53g of carbohydrate and 29g of fat per 100g.

Against the Salted

Spicy carries a little more salt than Kingston's Salted, 0.83g per 100g against 0.69g, and a little less fat, 15g against 16g.

Sugars

Sugar is not on the list, though it may be part of the chilli seasoning. The label gives 1.5g of sugars per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

Protein

The label gives 2.4g of protein per 100g; cassava is a starchy root rather than a protein food.

Tapioca

Tapioca, used in milk puddings and gluten free baking, is made from cassava; these chips are the root itself, sliced and fried.

A snack for gluten free guests

With no grain on the list, a bowl of spicy cassava chips suits a table where some guests avoid gluten.

On a snack board

Spicy cassava chips add colour and heat to a snack board, beside the Salted chips, nuts and a cooling dip.

Chilli and lime

A squeeze of lime over a bowl of spicy cassava chips is how the snack is often eaten as street food.

Why the chips curl

Thin slices of a dense root shrink unevenly as they lose water in the hot oil, so each chip curls into its own shape.

Energy

The label gives 452 kcal (1891 kJ) per 100g. The listing gives no serving size, so the figures on this page are per 100g, and the whole 80g bag is best shared.

With drinks at home

A bowl of spicy cassava chips beside a cold beer or a mango lassi is an easy start to a curry night at home.

Allergens and diet

No allergen is listed in the ingredients, and the published listing gives no allergy advice. Because the chilli seasoning is not broken down, anyone with an allergy should read the pack itself. The listing says the chips are vegan friendly and naturally gluten free. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Naturally gluten free

Cassava is a root, not a grain, and contains no gluten. The listing carries a naturally gluten free claim.

Vegan friendly

No animal ingredient is on the list, and the listing calls the chips vegan friendly.

One hundred per cent natural

The listing describes the chips as 100% natural.

How hot is it

The listing calls the chips spicy, and the red seasoning is visible on each slice. The heat is a warm chilli rather than a fierce one.

The pack

The front shows a tropical scene in red and green, with flowers, palm leaves, a figure in a bright skirt, a bowl of red dusted chips and an Island Sun badge, with the Kingston's name in the centre.

Thin and crispy

The listing describes the chips as thin, crispy and spicy. The slices curl as they fry, so each one has a slightly different shape.

With a dip

A cooling raita, a yoghurt and mint dip or a mango chutney suits the chilli.

With a curry night

Put a bowl of spicy cassava chips beside poppadoms and pickles before a curry.

With drinks

A cold lager, a lassi or a ginger beer takes the edge off the chilli.

Who it suits

Kingston's Spicy suits anyone avoiding gluten, vegans, and anyone who likes a chilli snack that is not made from potato.

Storage

The listing advises keeping the bag in a cool, dry place.

Other Kingston's

We also stock Kingston's Salted Cassava Chips in the same 80g bag.

The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.