Peanut candy – green tea culture is deeply ingrained in the subconscious of the Vietnamese people
As a child, I would randomly watch the gate waiting for mom to come home from the market to share a piece of honey-coated peanut candy wrapped in a dried banana leaf, and I would be thrilled. Growing up, I love to sip the cool, astringent taste of green tea blended with the nutty, crunchy taste of peanut candy to hear the gentle sweetness melt away on the tip of the tongue.
Peanut candy – Green tea is always enjoyed together
Therefore, it is easiest to notice that wherever peanut candy appears, there will be green tea. Peanut candy and green tea are paired together in shops for common people. Peanut candy is a rustic gift that is not picky about who eats it, “present” in water shops along the dike nestled under green bamboo shade, in the street vendor stalls of old ladies selling tea, in student iced tea stalls...
I do not know since when the Vietnamese have had such a rustic yet profound culture. In the noisy and bustling afternoon of the city, one will find moments of peace and relaxation when slowly enjoying a cool iced green tea, accompanied by a peanut candy bar. It feels warm on a chilly, drizzly rainy night with a cup of hot green tea, smelling wonderfully when eaten with peanut candy. Drinking a cup of tea without peanut candy feels incomplete, missing something very familiar. And sitting at a water stall just ordering a peanut candy bar will make you deeply miss the pungent astringent taste of green tea.
Delicious peanut candy is made from sugar or molasses made from sugarcane with malt
Peanut candy also has a very funny name, Siu Chau candy in Nam Dinh, because Chinese people from Chiu Chow popularized the way of making it. Delicious peanut candy must be made from sugar or molasses made from sugarcane with malt. The peanut filling inside must be firm peanuts, roasted just right to bring out the nutty aroma. After the mixture is poured onto a tray, a thin layer of glutinous rice flour must be sprinkled so that the candy does not stick together. The peanut candy that is crispy, sweet, and nutty when eaten is standard. And green tea must be brewed from fresh green tea leaves, do not choose old leaves because when boiled, the water will not be fragrant, and do not choose leaves that are too young because the drink will be bland. Delicious tea must have a gentle clear green taste, fragrant and cool, with a slightly astringent taste when drunk.
Rarely is there any candy that “understands” green tea like peanut candy, so drinking green tea must be accompanied by peanut candy to be considered the right way. Eat a piece of peanut candy, take a sip of fresh green tea, remember to smack your lips a few times to feel the sharp sweetness of the peanut candy being softened by the pungent astringent taste of the fresh tea, and comfortably take a puff of pipe tobacco to see all the pleasure of life in the sidewalk culture.
A simple yet sophisticated pleasure of Hanoians
Hanoi people have always been like that, very delicate even in the way they enjoy the most popular things. Drinking green tea and eating peanut candy is also as simple and gentle as enjoying other dishes, calm and not noisy. You can go alone, you can go with a few close friends, but you will definitely sit at a familiar shop, quietly and slowly listening to the stories of people around or focusing on a game of Chinese chess. There is no need to know or be close; just by ordering a cup of green tea and a peanut candy bar, people can easily sympathize and share with each other.
Hanoians have a habit of sitting at roadside stalls sipping peanut candy with a glass of green tea
Nowadays, there are so many “tea shops” with all kinds of elaborate and luxurious teas to choose from, but it seems that people still prefer and are more comfortable sitting at rustic sidewalk stalls. It is not a big deal to make that “charm”, just a clear glass of green tea that is cool to the eyes along with crispy, attractive peanut candies in the plastic jar of the saleswoman is enough to haunt those who have ever “loitered” at Hanoi's sidewalk water stalls.
Hanoians are sophisticated in choosing culinary dishes, so even from the simplest dishes like peanut candy, they also require the taste of malt, to be crispy, and have the nutty aroma of peanuts. If you want to enjoy delicious peanut candy with the right Hanoi taste, you can visit reputable large supermarkets such as: BigC, VinMart, Coopmart,... to buy the brand Bao Minh confectionery or visit the address at 12 Hang Than - Ba Dinh - Hanoi. Here, you can freely choose countless traditional cakes and candies that you love!
