The International Snack That's Quickly Becoming A New Trend In The US

If you frequent Asian grocery stores or the international aisle of your local supermarket, you're probably quite familiar with the wide variety of snack foods and flavors on offer from overseas. Specialty stores like H Mart have become popular destinations for all sorts of Asian foods and other goods.

Whether you're looking to find the best brand of instant ramen, get ahold of some highly-sought after international Kit Kat flavors, or track down a particular flavor of Pringles that seems to only be available in China, people stateside are increasingly turning their eyes overseas for new and exciting snack foods to enjoy.

One of the latest food trends from Asia that's been making waves in America doesn't need to be bought pre-made in a specialty store, though. It involves a common food item you probably have in your fridge and it's easy enough to make at home. Salted cured eggs have been a staple ingredient in many Asian cuisines for years, according to Taste Cooking, and they add a burst of flavor that's both salty and buttery, making them a perfect addition to any savory dish.

So, what is a cured egg, anyways? Per Splendid Table, it's simply an egg yolk that's rested in a mix of salt and sugar for several days in the fridge. This process firms up the yolks by drawing out all the moisture, which in turn condenses the flavor of the egg and infuses it with salty umami flavor.

The resulting hardened egg yolk is often used as a condiment, grated atop soups or pasta, almost like an alternative to parmesan cheese (per Taste Cooking). According to Elle, salted egg custard buns started making the rounds at dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong around 2009, and after that, a wide array of other food items and recipes involving the savory egg burst onto the scene.

According to NBC News, last year Cardi B tweeted about getting her hands on a variety of Asian snacks, including Irvins salted egg potato chips. Irvins is a brand of snacks from a restaurant in Singapore that quickly became famous for its salted egg crab dish, according to the restaurant's website. Since then, Irvins has expanded into producing a whole line of salted egg snacks that are available internationally.

That isn't the only way to get your salted egg snack fix, either! Chyum is a San Francisco-based brand that sells salted egg fish chips. Even Lays got in on the salted egg chip flavor, though those are only available in stores in Thailand. But you should still keep an eye out in your local international aisles and Asian shops for some salted egg goodness!