Japon: El Original Cacahuate Estilo Japonés

Edwin Goei

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Origin: Mexico

Found at: Superior Grocers, Buena Park

Cost: 4 bags for $1

Ingredients:

Selected Peanuts, Wheat Flour, Sugar, Water, Iodized Salt, Brown Sugar, Hydrolyzed Soy, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Caramel Coloring.

Why I Bought It:
I've been buying and enjoying these Mexican/Japanese peanuts for years, though not always this brand. I have, however, always wondered about its origins; because let's face it: you aren't likely to come across them in a Japanese supermarket like Mitsuwa. They are staples at Mexican ones though.

A little Internet "researching" suggests that they may have been invented in Mexico by a Japanese immigrant, which I guess makes them Japanese in the same way as anything I cook is Indonesian food, even if I make pizza.

Tasting Notes:
Japanese, Mexican, or whatever you consider them, they are addictive. The peanuts' thin, crunchy shell doubles the nut's crunch quotient by 200%. In fact, I've always liked the shells better than the peanuts themselves. I've been known to de-shell them, eat the peanuts, and save the crunchy coating for last.

This brand is a particularly great brand, and I've tried my share of different ones. The shell is neither too hard on your pearly whites, nor too brittle, yielding with slight pressure.

Did I mention they're addictive? I've eaten 3 out of the 4 bags I bought before I even wrote this post, and as soon as I finish, I'm tearing into the last one.

They go extremely well with a cold beverage, no matter what it is, but preferably beer. Sapporo or Corona, doesn't matter.