Ritz Custard Sandwich

What open package?

The Attraction:
Following my long standing interest in regional variations, I recently saw these at a different Asian market than the usual (apparently my normal grocery store doesn't stock these). How interesting; I'm not a super huge fan of the Ritz crackers, however delicious I remember them being back in the day, but the custard twist caught my eye (and the little lady's too). It was unanimous, this little treasure was coming home with us tonight.

The Review
Of all the pairings that come to mind when I think of Ritz crackers, custard would be near the very bottom of the list, yet for some reason Nabisco felt like it was a worthwhile paring (at least for the Asian markets). There's got to be something to it, I thought.

When I take the first sandwich out, I immediately recognize the characteristic golden round color and little bits of salt crystals, except this time, there is a layer of custard sandwiched between two pieces. With my first bite, the memories come rushing back; the crisp snap, the saltiness of said crystals, the heavenly buttery flavor, but then there's an unexpected twist in this seemingly familiar salivary tale. A wave of sweetness to counter the saltiness of the cracker itself comes crashing through my taste buds and has me begin to question everything I knew about Ritz crackers. How could a taste once so familiar to me now be turned on it's head and come out on the other side with something so unexpectedly good? It's only a matter of time before one of the 2 individually wrapped packages are devoured in an attempt to understand what I had experience with the previous piece or maybe these damn things are just that delicious.

 Same, but very different!

The Sweet:
Like other not so obvious parings to me (take sea salt and chocolate, for example) this one, however unlikely, works well. At first, the saltiness of the cracker seems to be on the verge of overpowering the sweetness of the custard, but the custard fights it's way through to help balance out this snack. I liken the effect similar to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; the saltiness of the peanut butter is cut by the sweetness of the jelly and keeps the other flavor in check. Same thing here with the Ritz custard sandwich....and it's done deliciously so.

I'm not your Daddy's Ritz Cracker

The Bitter:
Flavor-wise, there really isn't. However, as are many snacks imported from Japan, the portions are smaller. (each package comes with about 16 crackers). For about $3 a pack, it's not super pricey, but it's not priced like a "normal" box of Ritz crackers. You may also have to search high and low to find a grocer that stocks this item.

Conclusion:
In case you haven't figured it out, I really enjoyed this item. The complexity of the salty, then sweet will keep your taste-buds from getting bored and will keep you coming back for more. Just be sure to stock up on these when you come across them.

Video of the Week
Ever wonder what regional variations there are in other McDonald's around the world? Well, wonder no more! Our friends over at Buzzfeed has done all the legwork for you. I might just avoid a few places after seeing this list.

I wonder if I can get this in Chinatown?