19th Stop: Benin

Lemon, sugar, and peanuts make such pretty and simple ingredients. You cannot go wrong with trying Confit d'Arachide (Candied Peanuts) from Benin. It is basically a simple, and perfect little peanut brittle recipe. 

 

Benin is in West Africa.

The above territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. You see the French influence in many of the country's recipes, like with the one I share here today.

 

Below, the sugar heats up and melts into a loose honey-like consistency.

Then the lemon juice and peanuts are stirred into the melted sugar.

This mixture is poured onto an oiled baking tray (although I used a parchment-lined tray...less mess). Once the mixture has cooled off, it is broken into pieces and stored in an air-tight container. Super easy and super yummy.

I got the recipe here.  I converted the measurements as best as I could (conversions are not my thing) and here is what I used:

200g sugar = 1 cup sugar

1tsp lemon juice = 1 tsp lemon juice

250g roasted, unsalted, peanuts = 1 1/2 cups peanuts