It was the year 2011, and I was visiting Bandung when I chanced upon a number of cars parked by the roadside adorned with colourful buntings that read Keripik Pedas Maicih (Maicih spicy crackers) in Dago. And then I found out that music magazine Rolling Stone Indonesia came up with an award called The Hot Snack just for Maicih within the same year.
First unleashed to the masses in 2010, Keripik Pedas Maicih is a bag of fiery hot cassava crackers offered in different levels of spiciness – level ten is the spiciest out of all. Within a relatively short period of time, it achieved nationwide fame – probably because we Indonesians are obsessed with spicy treats – and the business went from strength to strength. Today, one can find Maicih at just about any convenience store, supermarket and reseller agent in the country.
Personally, I always go for level five as you can still enjoy its savoury flavour from the crackers themselves while being given jolts of spiciness on your palate. These days, however, have seen it lost its charm somewhat. The reason behind this is not due to a decline in quality, though, but more because of it slipping behind the latest trends – people got into it because it was all the rage back then. I’m curious to see what will happen to Keripik Pedas Maicih within the next couple of years.