One of the frustrations of browsing the supermarket shelves as a vegan is the inclusion of animal ingredients where there is absolutely no need for them. A really obvious example of this is flavored potato chips. Plain potato chips are pretty much always vegan (with a simple ingredient list of potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt) but I’m always amazed at the animal by-products that manufacturers sneak into flavored varieties, either in the form of dairy or animal-derived, flavor-enhancing e-numbers. (Seriously. Most “salt & pepper” chips I’ve run across contain dairy. Why?!) So too with most pickles chips.
Enter Aldi! Although there are hidden animal ingredients in most of their flavored chips, I was delighted to discover that their Pirato pickles chips are accidentally vegan! I have never had “Belgian Pickles” (a variant on Piccalilly), but Mr. Vegan Stuff in Belgium informs me that that’s what these chips taste like. To me, they’re just a delicious combination of crispy chips, with a tart/sweet/mustardy edge.