Bamba (snack)
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Creator(s) | Osem |
| Details | |
| Course | Snack |
| Main ingredient(s) | Peanut butter |
| Variations | Sweet Bamba, Nougat-filled Bamba, Halva-filled Bamba |
| Approximate calories per serving |
544 per 100 grams |
Bamba (Hebrew: בַּמְבָּה) is a peanut butter-flavored snack manufactured by the Osem corporation in Holon, Israel. They were invented by the German company Bahlsen under the name "Flips" about two months before Bamba began production.[1] Nowadays they enjoy massive popularity and are manufactured by a multitude of companies as "Erdnussflips", "Flips" or "Erdnusslocken"(peanut curls).
Bamba is one of the leading snack foods produced and sold in Israel. It has been marketed since 1964[2] with no decline in sales. Bamba makes up 25% of the Israeli snack market.[3] The competition has come out with similar products – "Parpar" (Telma) and "Shush" (Strauss-Elite).
Bamba is made from peanut butter-flavored puffed corn. Bamba contains no cholesterol, preservatives or food coloring, and is enriched with several vitamins. Nevertheless it contains high amounts of fat and salt. It has 544 calories per 100 grams. Bamba is certified Kosher by Badatz Jerusalem. Some describe it as "Cheez Doodles without the cheese."[4]
Manufacturing process
Corn grits are "popped" under high pressure, turning them into long lines of white, puffed, unflavored Bamba. The lines are cut into nuggets and then moved to a drying chamber where they are air-baked for 20 seconds, which gives them a crispy texture. The peanut butter, imported from Argentina, is added at the end. A worker stands on a step above the rotating drums and pours a pitcher of liquid peanut butter into each of the containers. As the drums turn, the nuggets are coated. The hot Bamba is then moved along a conveyor belt to cool before packaging.[5]
Variations
Osem also produces strawberry-flavored Bamba (officially called 'Sweet Bamba' Hebrew: במבה מתוקה) that is round in shape instead of oblong and red instead of the trademark color, which caused it to be dubbed by Israelis as 'Red Bamba' (Hebrew: במבה אדומה). The artificial food coloring that was once used has been replaced with beetroot.[5] In 2008, Osem came out with a new Bamba flavor – nougat-filled. Nougat Bamba is produced at the Osem plant in Sderot and is considered one of the most successful products marketed by the Nestle group, which owns the controlling interest in Osem.[6] In 2010, Osem introduced a halva-filled as well as a chocolate-filled Bamba (the latter with a flavor resembling Reese's Peanut Butter Cups).
Criticism
Some health experts say that Bamba should not be promoted as a "healthy" children's snack. They say this claim is deceptive, and the added vitamins in Bamba could result in over-consumption of nutrients.[7]
References
- ^ Große Kreisstadt Radebeul (Hrsg.): Stadtlexikon Radebeul. Historisches Handbuch für die Lößnitz, 2., leicht geänderte Auflage 2006, S. 208 f., ISBN 3-938460-05-9
- ^ Osem
- ^ Granof, Leah (2007-01-11). "The Bisli Snack attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-01-13. "Despite the apparent popularity of Bisli, the bite-sized nosh comes in decidedly second to Israel's other national pastime, Bamba, in the hierarchy of snack foods – capturing just 15% of the snack market in comparison to Bamba's 25%."
- ^ Squires, Sally. "Lean Plate Club". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^ a b "Bamba: A little taste of Israel". Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ Tsoref, Ayala (2008-12-29). "Nestle honcho drops in the see Bamba baby, [[Haaretz]]". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2011-10-17. Wikilink embedded in URL title (help)
- ^ Khromchenko, Traubmann (2007-04-06). "Peanut-flavored snacks - not as nutritious as they claim". Haaretz. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bamba snack |
- Snacks page on Osem's website (English)
