KFC brings back cult menu fave — but there’s a catch

The fast food chain has quietly reintroduced one of its most beloved discontinued menu items — but there’s a catch involved.

It’s the menu item that fans have been begging KFC to reinstate for years.

Now long-suffering customers can rejoice, with KFC’s most popular discontinued food item quietly returning to stores after a decade-plus hiatus — but there’s a catch.

Original Mashies, a deep fried ball of mashed potato goodness coated in KFC’s signature herbs and spices, have returned to the fast food chain’s menu in one state.

KFC fans have long yearned for the return of Original Mashies. Picture: Facebook/KFC NZ

After whispers on social media, a KFC spokesman confirmed to news.com.au Original Mashies were back for Tasmanian customers, with the door open for the much-loved menu item to come to other states.

“We’re always looking to delight our fans by introducing tasty new treats or bringing back cult favourites,” they said.

“We are currently offering the Original Mashies to the lucky folk of Tassie, but mainlanders should keep an eye out to see whether this golden favourite makes its return to KFC menus nationwide.”

The Original Mashies made their Australian debut back in 2009 and were an instant hit among customers.

Gravy Mashies made their debut in 2017. Picture: Supplied.

But sadly they were only a short-term fling, with KFC fans devastated that the beloved potato balls failed to make the chicken giant’s permanent menu roster.

Over the year fans have tirelessly campaigned for their return but instead Australia became the first country in the world to sample Gravy Mashies back in 2017.

First available in Tasmania, Gravy Mashies proved so popular KFC sold more than 130,000 of the potato-filled balls in the first fortnight they were available, The Daily Telegraph reported at the time.

Gravy Mashies have continued to make all-too-brief cameos at KFC stores over the years. But it hasn’t stopped fans from yearning for Original Mashies, with many claiming the gravy version doesn’t pack quite the same punch.

Unlike Gravy Mashies, Original Mashies are coated in KFC's signature herbs and spices. Picture: Instagram/@foodcaptain.au

Customers have long campaigned for the return of Original Mashies, with one going so far as to create a Change.org petition for the “warm balls of mashed potato wrapped in the Colonel’s secret herbs and spices”.

“Thinking about KFC mashies I will forever be in pain that they don’t make them anymore,” one devotee lamented on Twitter.

In a highly scientific news.com.au poll conducted last year, 17 per cent of respondents said KFC’s Mashies were the fast food menu item they most wanted to return behind Hungry Jack’s original onion rings and Macca’s hot and spicy chicken.