EATING THE EAST

Eastern Pa. has more than just cheesesteaks and Hershey’s Kisses.

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

WHEN IT COMES to defining the notable foods of eastern Pennsylvania, the choices usually come down to cheesesteaks or Hershey’s chocolate. These overshadow the array of signature food and drink from the place that brought us Little League baseball, The Office, and the Declaration of Independence.

Now, the regional delicacies from my life as an eastern Pa. native have expanded into Pittsburgh, offering strange and, perhaps, initially off-putting new options to local consumers.

As a favor to my adopted city, I wrote a primer on the snacks, processed meats, and other offerings being shipped westward to Pittsburgh.

Tasting Notes

Gibble’s Home Style Potato Chips

Chambersburg, Pa.

gibblesfoods.com

F YOU ENJOY the refreshing taste of Gibble’s potato chips are for you. Produced in Chambersburg, this cult snack has managed to withstand every health food craze, delivering pure animal fat to the masses.

Even as Lay’s, Ruffles, Pringles, and other snack giants over-diversify, making chips mere vessels for uncanny, multiingredient flavors ranging from spicy enchilada to Italian sub, Gibble’s has kept it simple, relying on a recipe of potatoes, “Prime Lard,” salt, and preservative TBHQ “to protect flavor.”

A staple in my hometown of Williamsport, Pa., Gibble’s only recently hit store shelves in Pittsburgh. I first saw the company’s signature bag — the design unchanged after over two decades — at my local Giant Eagle Market District about two years ago. I immediately snapped a photo of it and sent it to my friend with something to the tune of “Omg, the lard chips I ate as a kid are here.”

I expected her to respond with disgust. Instead, she asked where to

If it was not already apparent, I am not a fan of Gibble’s, finding them far too greasy. I am, it seems, in the minority, however, as online reviews rave about the crunchy, tasty, lardy snack.

Despite their popularity, Gibble’s almost disappeared for good when, in 2013, operations were shut down, according to a story by the Chambersburg Public Opinion. It was rescued and reopened by the owners of King’s Quality Foods in Lancaster County, who considered themselves fans of the Gibble’s brand and saw customers demanding that the chips be brought back, including in a Facebook group.

Pittsburgh locals wanting to try Gibble’s may have a difficult time finding them. A Market District associate informed me that the supermarket chain no longer carries the brand. A friend told me he recently bought them at the Shop ‘n Save on 1620 Babcock Blvd. in Millvale. Squirrel Hill Market at 2329 Murray Ave. also carries them.

While this vegetarian will never eat these crunchy babies again, I wish happy hunting to anyone on the lookout for the apparently elusive Gibble’s.

Middleswarth Potato Chips

Middleburg, Pa.

middleswarthchips.com

FOR FANS OF UNLARDED potato chips, there’s Middleswarth, another cult snack out of eastern Pa. that graced many cookouts and family gatherings in my youth. I sometimes joke about getting a tattoo of the illustration from the company’s extra-large Weekender bag, a cartoonish display of people playing golf, tennis, and other sports, fueled, I assume, by the power of Middleswarth chips.

As the story on the company’s website goes, Bob Middleswarth founded Ira Middleswarth & Son in 1942, producing potato chips with “a single kettle” in a two-room building off the side of his family home. Besides plain, Middleswarth sells a limited selection of classic flavors, including barbecue (spelled “bar-b-q”), sour cream and onion, and salt and vinegar. There are also kettlecooked options.

Middleswarth chips are undeniably beloved by eastern Pa. consumers. In high school, my friend spent a summer in Vermont and told me that, the second she crossed over to Pennsylvania, all she wanted was a bag of bar-b-q Middleswarth. In terms of taste and texture, Middleswarth produces a thin, crispy chip, perfect, not only as a side but as an ingredient, adding the right amount of crunch to an otherwise dull sandwich.

The Middleswarth website claims they deliver to 11 distributors throughout Pennsylvania, including in Pittsburgh. Market District once again came up short, but, like Gibbles, Squirrel Hill Market carries them in various flavors and sizes.

Tasting Notes

– classic flavors include bar-b-q, sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar – thin and crisp