Americans have really fallen in love with Israel’s chosen snack: bamba. After all, this puffy, peanut-y snack has been scientifically proven to reduce peanut allergies in children. And also, it’s just delicious.
So delicious that several new kinds of bamba-inspired snacks are cropping up: Trader Joe’s has their own peanut snack (which is said to be made in Israel by Osem, the same company that makes the original) and Pop Chips has also released their own version recently.
So our staff set out to do some seriously strenuous work: We blind tasted all three kinds of bamba we could find. Not only did we blind taste all the bamba, we recruited some real-live Israelis who grew up eating and loving the snack to give us an authentic, accurate answer on the pressing question: WHICH BAMBA REIGNS SUPREME? You can watch the video below to see our responses.
Keep the kitchen humming and the recipes coming. Your support ensures The Nosher remains a free resource for everyone in our community seeking a taste of home or a new tradition. Donate today to keep Jewish food accessible to all.
Spoiler alert: The Israelis (Lior and Grace) thought Trader Joe’s was the original, really liked the Pop Chips version, which was noticeably sweeter and had more distinctive peanut flavor, and thought the Osem brand (the original) tasted “old.” Our biggest surprise was how much we all enjoyed the Pop Chips brand. The sweetness was distinctively American, commented Grace, but there is actually no added sugar in the ingredients.
So for you doubters who might be concerned about the authenticity of these bamba imitators, turns out all the bamba snacks are delicious. Nosh away.
