French Burnt Peanuts Are The Granddad Of All Tasty Classics

Anyone traveling Monmouth Street in Newport likely encountered French Burnt Peanuts. This  addictive candy are almost a cultural experience by themselves. They also boast an unmistakable unique shape.That helps these panned candies stand out even among all the other tasty treats.

But this simple, tiny treat is difficult to trace. However, its influence visibly spans into other candies – panned or not. One candy enthusiast worked hard to learn more about the French Burnt Peanuts, both its past and the future they created. Let’s take a particularly delectable walk through history and revisit these burnt panned peanuts.

Almonds almost have the answers

Look at almonds and you’re almost at a key origin point among French Burnt Peanuts. According to Candy Atlas, almonds were among the first to get a candy coating. This dates back decades upon centuries. With this in mind, let’s consult some literature. A 1918 candy catalogue from Mullane’s Candy Company offers a list of various candies and their histories. The list earned enough praise to get reviewed by the National Confectioner’s Journal, so it boasts major credibility points.

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And within that catalogue is a listing that explores candy coated almonds and, specifically, burnt almonds, which it describes as “one of the oldest confections.” This old iteration used  burnt sugar and Mexican vanilla. On top of that, it also included a cinnamon iteration as well. But this itself can be bewildering because burnt almonds come from Germany. However, the French used almonds prominently first before any others, so we’re back to France. Additionally, France’s claim to face was specifically confections. Meanwhile, Germany was famous for pastries.

The French Burnt Peanut gets an American twist

It’s only fitting that this delectable treat gets its roots from everyone – just like America! Each country had a go-to food for incorporating into desserts and candies. America happened to go through an intense peanut phase when the French Burnt Peanut arose here. In this case, however, confectioners turned to the Spanish peanut.

From here, though, instead of being shaped by history, the French Burnt Peanut shapes history. This tiny treat gave rise to the Boston Baked Bean. But it won’t be difficult to tell these relatives apart. The French Burnt Peanut is very noticeably lumpy; it’s something of its trademark. Meanwhile, the Boston Baked Bean has a smooth, consistent, round shape. On the inside, though, both provide the flavor of Spanish peanuts. This peanut has come a long way, though the journey always ends in people’s stomachs.