DaiKichi Wheat Crackers – Hot & Spicy Flavor

Bitter: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Sour/Tangy: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Sweet: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Sweet, fish sauce, umami

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Crispy and crunchy

Ingredients: What flour, Sugar, Tapioca starch, Palm oil, Fish sauce (Anchovy Fish, salt, sugar, Iodine), Iodized salt, Monosodium glutamate, Garlic, Calcium carbonate, Ammonium bicarbonate, Chili powder, Pepper, Baking powder (Sodium bicarbonate, Tapioca starch, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Calcium carbonate), Capsicum, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Yellow No. 5.

While the name means “Great Blessing” in Japanese the DaiKichi brand is actually from and made in Thailand. Thailand has a history of fish-sauce flavored rice and wheat crackers, often flavored with chiles, shrimp, or other local flavors. The DaiKichi brand seems to be targeted primarily at the Japanese market but I found these on the snack shelf of my local Asian grocery store and always on the lookout for new spicy snacks to try decided to give them a go.

Since these are wheat crackers it makes since that the first ingredient is wheat flour, though sugar coming next surprised me. Thai snacks can be sweet, as can Japanese, though Thailand does seem to prefer balancing a myriad of different flavors. With fish sauce coming in next I wasn’t sure if these would be offensively fishy or not, as fish sauce can be a very strong flavor. MSG for added umami and chili powder for heat come next then several chemical leavening agents. Calcium carbonate is an acidity regulator and and calcium nutrient fortifier. Ammonium bicarbonate, also known as baker’s ammonia, is used as a leavening agent in crunchy baked goods. Some capsicum extract and artificial colors round things out. Not a clean ingredients list by any means, but again this is a snack food so we don’t necessarily expect perfection. There is a slight fishy aroma from these though the texture is pleasingly crunchy and crisp.

The fish sauce flavor is present in the DaiKichi Hot & Spicy Wheat Crackers but it isn’t overpowering and actually tastes milder than the smell indicates. While there is a slight fish flavor it’s much more of a deep umami and less fishy-saucy than the Vietnamese Nong-Phu Crispy Garlic Rice Balls I’ve tried previously. The amount of sugar in these does stand out as they’re quite sweet, though that also helps ameliorate the stronger elements of the fish sauce flavor. In terms of heat there’s a gentle warmth from these but not much actual chile flavor. In terms of spicy Thai snacks I found the Chili Boys Crunchy Chili Crisps to by much more my style, but these DaiKichi crackers are still pleasant enough. I doubt anyone would find these actually Hot & Spicy, more possibly gently tingly, they’re milder than any hot sauce I’ve tried and even milder than the Spicy Nacho Doritos which also have zero heat.

Despite not being particularly hot and not having any chili flavor these are tasty enough, especially if you like things that are a bit sweeter with a lot of umami. I wouldn’t go out of my way for these again but I’d be willing to munch of them again if given the opportunity, so I’ll give them a gentle recommendation.