By: Rudy Sanchez
While “Pumpkin Spice” season is ramping up in the US, in China, Oreo is releasing two very non-pumpkin kinds of flavors: wasabi and spicy chicken wing.
Oreo is no stranger to remixing their classic chocolate wafers with cream filling. Usually, it’s a sweet seasonal or commemorative variant such as the Peeps flavor for Easter, Prime Berry to for a Transformers promotion, or the Birthday Cake flavor to celebrate their 100th year on the market. This is groundbreaking in that it’s two savory and spicy fillings that have certainly raised eyebrows across the globe.
The box uses the typical blue and white branding as in the west, albeit in Chinese. However, along one edge of the package, there are green or orange flames for the wasabi and hot wing flavors respectively.
Unlike most Oreos, these are packed in single-serving sleeves, rather than a rowed tray. The Oreos on the front of the box are split open, and for the wasabi flavor, there’s a piped dollop of the beguiling green stuff. The spicy chicken wing Oreo is similar but has a wing and pepper on the box instead.
Oreos have been around since 1912, and they have a distinct imprint on the mind of consumers—they’re sweet cookies you dunk in milk or playfully twist open so you can lick out the filling. While spicy and savory fillings are unconventional, it’s not exactly a foreign idea either. Chicken and waffles is a southern cuisine staple, and many Mexican candies are a combination of sweet and spicy. There’s even a Japanese wasabi-flavored Kit-Kat.
For now, these chocolate/spicy/savory cookies are exclusive only to the Chinese market, because let’s face it: they sound like a crime against cuisine that probably won’t win over many consumers, save for a few curious souls willing to take one for the team.
In the end, perhaps these Oreos are the snack cookie equivalent of Rob Schneider: funny sometimes in minor movie roles, but not meant to be the literal star of the show.
Rudy Sanchez
Rudy Sanchez is a product marketing consultant based in Southern California. Once described by a friend as her “technology life coach,” he is a techie and avid lifelong gamer. When he’s not writing or helping clients improve their products, he’s either watching comedies on Netflix, playing the latest shooter or battle royale game or out exploring the world via Ingress and Pokémon Go.
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