Photo Riina Kindlam

 ‘Tis the season to go out in the forest foraging for seened (mushrooms), see people returning from such jaunts carrying ämbri/täied  (bucketfuls) of seened  or to go out and buy butter-fried kuke/seene (chanterelle mushroom) flavored potato chips. Prepared värsketest kartulitest  (from fresh potatoes).

Potato chips (kartuli/krõpsud ) are generally shortened to simply “krõpsud ” from the word krõpsuv meaning crunchy (sensation and sound). This is a new flavor of Estrella brand krõpsud. Estrella began making soolased suu/pisted  (salty snacks) in Sweden in 1946 and has expanded its Baltic headquarters and tootmine  (manufacturing) to Kaunas, Leedu  (Lithuania).

The package also announces the potatoes used are the kartuli/ saak  (potato harvest) hailing from July to October of this year. Päeva/lille/õliga  indicates they were prepared using sunflower oil and piiratud kogus  means there is a limited amount, hence it’s a limited edition. The Estrella Eesti Facebook page advertises that kuke/seened  (literally “rooster mushrooms”) cannot only be found in the forest... And asks which will you choose: seenel/ käik , a mushrooming trek, or Estrella värske saak  (Estrella’s fresh pickings)? Hmm... Can you make soust (sauce) out of the latter and slather it over keedu/kartulid  (boiled potatoes)? If not, it’s time to grab your korv  (basket).

True seene/sõbrad, ‘shroomies or connoisseurs, who “stoop low” to gather their treasures would most likely consider these seene/matkijad  (mushroom mimickers) beyond low and downright appalling (kohutav). I must say, they taste quite yummy though and have the dangerous addictive quality of  ost soolased  (salty) and rasvased  (fatty, oily) snacks aka rämps/ toit  (junk food). Sõida seenele instead.

Riina Kindlam , Tallinn