Sultanate Ep 032: Chips Oman

My first experience with Oman’s chip culture came very early in my time here. I rolled up to a “coffee shop”, honked my horn, as you do, and asked to see the menu. This menu was eccentric and whimsical in it’s own right, but that’s a topic for another day. Yet, one sandwich caught my gaze. CCEO. “What the crap is a CCEO?” The young man responded proudly, “Croissant, Cheese, Egg, and Chips Oman.”

“I’ll try that.”

This might be the perfect meal. A hot sandwich with a toasty sweet bread that nicely holds creamy white cheese. The omelet fried egg adds a perfect soft base to bite into, while the Chips Oman surprise you with a blast of salt, spice, and crunch. Yum.

All the chip brands in the sultanate, including Chips Oman, are third level cool. First, they taste great. Spicy, sweet, cheesy, salty… there’s something for everyone. Secondly, they are fun. Salad Chips, Pizza Chips? Enough said. Lastly, they are more than just silly chips.

Chips Oman are the unofficial cultural identifier for this great nation. Quietly spicy, unassuming, surprising, and lovable the world over. Exactly as it’s country namesake.

Interestingly, there is a disproportionate number of chip brands for this small population kingdom. Chips Oman are popular for sure. But are they the most popular chip brand? Let’s find out.

Chips Oman Controversy

In this episode of the Sultanate, I sit down with my friend Nadhira al Harthy to discuss why there are so many chip brands in Oman, the quirky ways to consume the sumptuous fried snack, and conduct a taste test to find the most popular chip in Oman.

If you fancy making your own sandwich with Chips Oman, try this recipe from the epically funny Misadventures in HR blog:

Sandwich Sand Landaise.
1 large piece of flatbread
4-5 slices of processed cheese product
12 packets of mayonnaise
4 packets ketchup
1/2 cup mixed vegetable pickle*
1 packet of potato chips, crushed with the aid of a computer mouse

Method: Clear reception counter of any work-related items. Place large piece of flatbread directly on top of reception counter. Unwrap processed cheese slices and lay evenly across flatbread, pile discarded cheese product wrappers elsewhere on reception desk. Remember, it is the “office boy’s” responsibility to dispose of these wrappers, not yours!

Next, open packets of mayonnaise with your teeth and squirt them on top of the cheese product. Use your index finger to spread the mayonnaise evenly across the cheese product. The mayonnaise layer must be at least 1/2 cm thick.

Employ the tooth technique to open the ketchup packets and use the tip of your index finger to swirl the ketchup through the sea of mayonnaise. All mayonnaise and ketchup packets should  be piled on top of cheese product wrappers. Don’t worry if a packet or two fall on the ground, just point it out to the office boy when he walks by.

When you have blended the ketchup into the mayonnaise, scatter mixed vegetable pickles across your concoction.

Next, take a small packet of potato chips. Let the air out of the bag and place the flat bag on the reception counter beside your sandwich. Pick up your computer mouse and use it to crush the potato chips into a fine dust. Sprinkle potato chip dust across the top of the sandwich.

Now for the final flourish, starting at the left end of the sandwich, roll the bread tightly – just like a sushi chef rolls a tuna maki.

Bon apetit!

Do you have any fun stories about chips in Oman? Let me know in the comments below.

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