Why Canadian?
This question haunted me through an entire bag. Canadian ham is a thing, technically. It’s back bacon, essentially. Leaner than American ham, closer to British bacon. But does this crisp taste specifically of Canadian ham as opposed to any other ham? Does it evoke maple forests and hockey rinks and apologetic politeness?
No. Obviously not. It tastes like ham crisps. Generic, processed, vaguely porky ham crisps. The Canada reference is pure marketing, geographical exoticism designed to make the product seem more interesting than it is.
The flavour itself is fine, in the way that Seabrook flavours are sometimes fine. Smoky, salty, with that cured meat character that ham-flavoured things tend to have. It’s not offensive. It’s just not Canadian in any meaningful sense, and the pretence that it is feels vaguely insulting to everyone involved.
The pattern emerges
See also: Sea Salt. Seabrook loves a name that promises more than the product delivers. Canadian Ham sounds premium. It sounds specific. It sounds like someone sourced flavouring from North American pigs raised on a diet of maple syrup.
They didn’t. It’s just ham crisps with a passport it didn’t earn.
