Red Hot Riplets
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Red Hot Riplets are a kind of spicy or pungent potato chip sold in St. Louis, Missouri. Red Hot Riplets are ridge cut chips covered with hot chili pepper and sweet powdered seasoning. The label describes the flavoring as "St. Louis Style Hot Sauce". Old Vienna Snack Food Co. makes and distributes Riplets locally. The chips are sold all over town at many local businesses, from mom and pop stores to chains such as Schnucks and even 7-Eleven. Due to the hotness of the chips they can be something of an acquired taste.
The chips have a bright red color that comes naturally from the powdered peppers. Red Hot Riplets used to be fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening, but they are now fried in liquid vegetable oils. Old Vienna has also made Red Hot Thins with same seasoning on thin cut potato chips, Cheesy Red Hot Riplets with the addition of a cheese powder, and Red Hot Pork rinds.
In 2003 Esquire magazine included Red Hot Riplets in their article and list "Best Potato Chips You've Never Tasted" [1]. The chips are also known outside of St. Louis because of the rapper Murphy Lee. He wrote a song "Red Hot Riplets" (from the album Murphy's Law) that mentions them in the chorus. When Murphy Lee was included in the Rap snacks line of chips he had them duplicate the Red Hot Riplets recipe as his flavor of Rap Snacks.
Old Vienna Snack Food Company was founded in 1936 by Louis Kaufman in St. Louis. As of late 2007 there is a bottled hot sauce, with a label similar to the Red Hot Riplets bag, that contains "St. Louis Style" hot sauce.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Best Potato Chips You've Never Tasted", Esquire magazine, 2003-02-01.
