Calbee Kappa Ebisen Shrimp Chips

Kappa Ebisen has been made by Calbee since 1964 — one of the longest-running snack products in Japan, and the one most associated with the phrase that became the brand’s defining slogan: “yamerarenai, tomaranai” — can’t stop, can’t quit.

The phrase is not hyperbole.

It describes an actual eating experience that generations of Japanese consumers have had and that has kept the product on shelves for over sixty years without meaningful reformulation.

The construction is specific.

Whole shrimp — shell and all — are ground into the dough along with wheat flour, starch, and a minimal seasoning of sugar and salt.

Using the whole shrimp rather than just the meat gives the chip two things that shrimp-flavored alternatives can’t achieve: a genuine shrimp flavor that runs through the entire piece rather than sitting only on the surface, and the calcium that the shell provides — 111mg per 77g bag, a nutritional claim that Calbee has carried on the packaging for decades.

The chip is non-fried — baked and then finished with a light spray of oil to smooth the texture, rather than submerged in oil during production.

The result is a crispness that is lighter and more immediately aromatic than a fried shrimp chip, with the characteristic fragrance of roasted shrimp that hits when the bag is opened and doesn’t dissipate as you work through it.

The slogan turned sixty alongside the product.

The fact that it still applies is the most accurate review the chip has ever received.

About this item
Item Name : Kappa Ebisen
Brand : Calbee
Item Form : Snacks
Number of Items : 77g (Pack of 1)