Name: Jaga Pokkuru – Crispy potato sticks
Brand: Potato Farm (Calbee)
SKU: 42-souvenir
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.4 (47 reviews)

Hokkaido

Jaga Pokkuru – Crispy potato sticks by Potato Farm (Calbee)

: 4.4

Rating 4.4 · 47 reviews from Japanese buyers

[ Taste: 4.9 Value: 4.0 Volume: 4.0 Design: 4.3 Portability: 4.3 Shelf life: 4.6 ]

Snacks & candy Snacks

Jaga Pokkuru is made by Calbee under the brand name "Potato Farm".
When it first went on sale, word of mouth spread that this Hokkaido-only souvenir was extremely good, and it became so popular that at one point it was hard to find.
The charming name Jaga Pokkuru is said to come from the Korpokkur, legendary little people whose name means "people beneath the butterbur leaves" in the Ainu language.

The potatoes used are 100% Hokkaido-grown, and only those that pass quality inspection and are the right size for the process are selected.
To keep the umami in, the potatoes are cut whole with the skin on, so they look just like real potatoes.
The salt is carefully chosen too: it is made from the brackish water of Lake Saroma, drawn up and slowly simmered in kettles into a mild salt.

The texture is light and crisp, and the faint sweetness of the potato pairs perfectly with the saltiness.
Potato Farm's original process is said to produce the crunchy texture and the natural flavor of Hokkaido potatoes, and the result is convincingly good.

It comes divided into small bags, which makes it easy to hand out as souvenirs, though we wish they would also sell a large bag you could keep eating from on your own.
Why not try a texture completely different from potato chips?

Good to know before you fly

Storage

Room temperature

What Japanese buyers say

Reviewers praise these thick fried potato sticks for tasting like real Hokkaido potatoes, crisp outside and fluffy inside with restrained salt, and say they are hard to stop eating; the individually packed small bags are light and ideal for sharing with coworkers or with beer. Several buyers wish the portions were bigger, and a few find it slightly oily or pricey.

Summary of 47 reviews posted on the Japanese site.