Rotary Tapioca Crackers

Name: Rotary Tapioca Crackers (a.k.a. Krupuk Aci)

Origin: Indonesia

Found at: 99 Ranch Market, Irvine

Cost: $2.29

Ingredients:
Tapioca Flour, Vegetable (Palm) Oil, Salt and Monosodium Glutamate

Why I Bought It:
Simple: I grew up with this stuff. And plus, it's one snack that left plenty of heads scratching at the 99 Ranch in Irvine.

I saw one man pick up a bag, examined it, and after determining that he couldn't reconcile whether it was food or some sort of scrubbing tool, put it back down. This occurred a few more times since 99 Ranch is a Chinese supermarket, not an Indonesian one.

Tasting Notes:
The density of it is as light as Styrofoam, but structurally, it's as rigid as a block of uncooked ramen.

It's puffy, slightly greasy and when you bite into it, it shatters with a head-rattling crunch. In your mouth, upon contact with saliva, it turns to frothy foam with an oily, sweet, salty and savory flavor.

Indonesians eat it as an accompaniment to their meals, like chips for a sandwich. But I consume it anytime I can.