By: Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot: “Sharing Savory Stories on the Makings of America’s Cuisines”…
A Small Story with Big Culinary Connections to both African and American History... [By Tonya Hopkins aka "The Food Griot"]: Peanut brittle, that crunchy, sweet, and savory treat, has a deeper history than you might think. One that’s tied not only to American food history but also to ages-old African culinary traditions that ultimately begat its American iteration...
To be clear, brittle's just one small sliver of a quite sizable American Peanut Story — that I’ve only recently begun to crack the shell on. So continue to stay tuned for more and/or also check out previous peanut-related posts too . That said, back to brittle: Ok so in early America, African Americans (enslaved and Emancipated) were pioneers among the nations first nut candy (oft called nut cakes) creators and vendors all along the Eastern seaboard. Black Culinarians were lauded for creative applications of nuts in pies, candies and cakes — precursors to the many big brand nut candies that are an integral part of American snack food culture today. Peanut brittle is no exception (although FYI Peanuts are technically NOT nuts but actually the nutrient-dense seeds of legumes — and therefore in the bean family! But I digress…)
In this more detailed PATREON version of this peanut brittle post, you’ll find: a lot more history, context and content including a NICE LIST of modern-day Black-owned confection companies crafting high quality traditional (& nouveau!) brittles (with source links!) + a bonus Chef’s menu with EXTRA food history AND a delicious RECIPE download GIFT to make your own brittle)