When it comes to luxury items, things related to potatoes are no small potatoes.
When we reported the $1 million sale of a potato photograph, we thought it was a fluke. Now we learn of another luxury item: the $11 potato chip.
Just to be clear, we are not referring to a bulk supply of chips for $11, nor are we talking about a regular-sized bag that is sold at a movie theater or sports concession stand for $11. This particular remedy for peckishness costs $11 for an individual chip.
The chips (or crisps, for our British readers) are the product of St. Erik’s microbrewery in Sweden. Not content to settle for any old potato, St. Erik’s uses potatoes “from the potato hillside in Ammarnäs, a steep, stony slope in a south-facing location where almond potatoes are cultivated in very limited numbers. The slope is difficult for modern agricultural machines to access, which means that all potatoes are planted and harvested by hand.”
In addition to potatoes, the chips include exclusive ingredients such as truffle seaweed from the Faroe Islands, hand-picked dill from Sweden’s Bjäre Peninsula, Matsutake mushrooms, Leksand onions, and India Pale Ale Wort. The limited-edition chips come in a special box, each one containing just five handmade chips.
The chips, sold in a limited edition of specially designed box, contain just five individual potato chips, each made by hand. At $56 per box, this equates to about $11,000 per kilogram — nearly as expensive as Beluga caviar.
Each box also comes with a certificate of authenticity and a tiny pair of tongs so you don’t have to sully the flavor of the chip by touching it with your fingers.
One hundred boxes of the exclusive chips were made and sold out very quickly. Unless St. Erik’s produces more, your chances of experiencing this luxury item will occur only if you can buy a box from a collector — probably for a wee bit more than the original purchase price.
Keep in mind that the container may look fancy, but it does not appear to be airtight. Be prepared for a bit of staleness when you bite into your priceless snack.