30 January 2010

Tyrells Alternatives: Habas Fritas (Nisa)


To be honest I don’t normally do to well with alternative products, it clearly states ‘alternative’ in the title, and I thought it was supposed to be a nut replacement. I’m usually quite happy with the original! The sub text on the packet didn’t exactly fill me with excitement either: “Lightly Spiced Cooked Broad Beans”. The word broad beans doesn’t normally fill you with the concept of a dream snack, but oh my, it really should.
Despite everything, these broad beans are fantastic. The coating is thick, uneven and has the most wonderful spice, it is not overly hot but there is a hint of chilli and a little garlic mixed in. The beans are also uneven, but crunchy, and this curious mix of textures and odd shapes just made them wonderfully rustic.
The taste was surprisingly similar to pork scratching, despite them not containing any meat. They were moreish, full of flavour, full of texture and an absolute pleasure to eat. This should not be an ‘alternative’ as the label suggests, this should be your first choice.

4 comments:

Katie said...

I had some broadbean thingys like this and they were great.

Unknown said...

Damn I love these. The only time of year we get them in our household is christmas though.

neilp said...

I love these things, only trouble is the only place that sells them near me is about 40 miles away, it makes a bag very expensive! They are awesome though!

cinabar said...

I just can't get over how fantastic these were... such a surprise that broad beans could be this amazing.