The Taste of Summer

A cup of hot chips drowning in tomato sauce, each bite accompanied by the smell of chlorine on wrinkled fingers. Or maybe it’s ice cream running down the sides of a crunchy waffle cone and onto your fingers, and the salty taste of the ocean as you lick it off. For many of us growing up in Australia, these are some of the undisputed tastes of Summer. The rewards at the end of a day spent escaping the unforgiving gaze of the Australian sun.  

But on the list of summertime favourites, there’s one thing that’s often overlooked. You won’t find it on the menu of your local pool canteen, or at your favourite fish-and-chip shop. Instead, it’s something that’s passed around; through families, friend circles, strangers you’ve never met. Whether you’ve had it before or not, most of us have the knowledge of it hidden somewhere inside us. 

What I’m talking about is the chip sanga (Australian for chip sandwich). There are some variations of the chip sanga. One calls for regular packet chips (or crisps), while another calls for hot chips (or fries). You may have also heard it referred to as a chip butty (or buddy). While all variations and names are acceptable, what I’ll be talking about is the hot chip kind.

To make a chip sanga, you’ll need two things. Hot chips, and bread. Fresh white bread is often the recommended go-to, but any bread will do in a pinch. Just get on down to any bakery, supermarket, or convenience store, and grab a loaf. 

The chips are a little trickier to get right. The first thing to keep in mind is the style of chip. You don’t want the thin French fries type you might find at certain fast food restaurants, and you don’t want some fancy type like beer-battered. The chip sanga calls for the thick, fluffy, deep-fried kind you’ll find at almost any takeaway or fish-and-chip shop in the country.   

The next thing to keep in mind (and if you’re outside Australia, you might be out of luck here), is the salt. Your chips should be glowing with a fluorescent yellow coating of chicken salt. If your shop of choice doesn’t have it, then find a different shop. 

Chicken salt is as much of a culinary delicacy here as it is a national mystery. It’s a staple at any takeaway shop, but you won’t find it in anyone’s pantry. At least, not the good stuff. No one really knows what it is, or where to find it. Anything in the supermarket claiming to be chicken salt is a lie. That’s why this step can often be the trickiest. You can’t recreate it at home. The success of your chip sanga will depend on the quality of chip you can find out in the wild. 

So, now you’ve got your bread, and you’ve got your chips. What’s next? As I’m sure you might have guessed by the name, the next step is to take those chips and lay them between two slices of bread. You now have a chip sanga. 

If you like, you can throw in some butter or tomato sauce, in fact many people swear by these ingredients. But to me, the beauty of the chip sanga comes from its ability to be prepared on the go. My location of choice is by the beach, overlooking the crashing waves and fending off the resident seagulls. Adding in butter just adds an extra layer of complexity I don’t want to think about. But, if you have the means, go for it. Slather on the butter and drown the chips and sauce. 

I can’t say what it is about the humble chip sanga that makes it such a classic. Who ever thought potato on bread would be such a good combination? I think it’s the simplicity of it, mixed with novelty and an extra big serving of nostalgia. You certainly won’t be impressing anyone with your culinary mastery by making one. But, it’s still something I think is worth experiencing at least once in your life.