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Caviar potato chips? Pepsi Cappuccino? Companies cater to unusual flavours overseas

What would you say to chowing down on caviar-flavoured chips? Or drowning your usual morning bowl of All-Bran in coffee instead of 2% milk?

For many North Americans, these international flavour variations on a familiar product can be an acquired taste.

A recent story by the Associated Press reports on how snack makers are trying to increase sales overseas as North American sales slow down, likely because of increased health awareness. Simultaneously, consumers in developing nations such as China and India are leaning towards quick snacks, as their pace of life speeds up, matching those in the west.

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Kraft Food Inc., Kellogg Co., and PepsiCo. Inc. have all touted company success in China, Spain and Russia with changes to their products and advertising. Green tea flavoured Oreo cookies were put on the market in China, ads in Spain featured All-Bran floating in coffee, and red caviar flavoured Lays chips were offered in Russia.

In yet another recent Associated Press story -- created likely in response to their first story -- the media company decided to assembled a panel of American taste testers in their New York offices to critique a variety of strange international snacks.

Included in their panel was 85-year-old Marilyn Hagerty, whose earnest and enthusiastic review of a newly opened Olive Garden in her town went viral.

Treats on the menu included Lemon-Pepper Tang (Saudi Arabia) and Mango-Orange Oreos (China), and Red Caviar chips (Russia).

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The testers were predominantly unimpressed by the offerings.

"People who love Oreos want the purity of an Oreo," New York magazine food blogger Alyssa Shelasky tells the Associated Press. "Purists love Oreos because they're not complicated. It's black, it's white and you dip it in milk. It always tastes the same for your entire life."

While some people are adventure seekers, many of us tend to stick to what we know and tend to know what we like.

Other exotic flavours of familiar snack treats and beverages that can be found in markets around the world include Cherry blossom Green Tea Kit-Kat bars (Japan), Watermelon Fanta (Greece), Dulche de Leche Oreos (Chile) and Pepsi Cappuccino (Russia).

And in case you think that ketchup chips are readily available internationally, it may surprise you to know that the beloved condiment-flavoured snack is a Canadian phenomenon. American's don't seem to have the same drool-factor over the product.

Watch the video below on how to make the popular East Indian dish, butter chicken.