Brittle is a type of
confection consisting of flat broken pieces of hard
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
candy embedded with nuts such as
pecans,
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
s, or
peanuts, and which are usually less than 1 cm thick.
Types
It has many variations around the world, such as ''
pasteli
:''The term "sesame candy" may also refer to sesame halva.''
Sesame seed candy is a confection of sesame seeds and sugar or honey pressed into a bar or ball. It is popular from the Middle East through South Asia to East Asia. The texture may vary ...
'' in
Greece;
sohan
Sohan is a village and union council of Jhelum District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Jhelum Tehsil, and is located at 33°3'25N 73°26'30E with an altitude of 303 metres (997 feet). Most of the population belong to t ...
in
Iran; ''croquant'' in
France; ''
alegría'' or ''palanqueta'' in
Mexico; ''
panocha mani'', ''panutsa mani'', or ''samani'' in the
Philippines (which can also be made with
pili nut);
''
gozinaki
Gozinaki or Gozinaqi ( ka, გოზინაყი ) is a traditional Georgian confection made of caramelized nuts, usually walnuts, fried in honey, and served exclusively on New Year's Eve and Christmas. In the western Georgian provinces of I ...
'' in
Georgia;
''gachak'' in Indian
Punjab,
chikki in other parts of
India;
''kotkoti'' in
Bangladesh; ''
sohan halwa'' in
Pakistan; ''huasheng tang'' (花生糖) in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
; ''thua tat'' (ถั่วตัด) in
Thailand; and ''kẹo lạc, kẹo hạt điều'' in
Vietnam. In parts of the
Middle East, brittle is made with
pistachio
The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...
s, while many Asian countries use
sesame seeds and peanuts. Peanut brittle is the most popular brittle recipe in the
United States. The term "brittle" in the context of the food first appeared in print in 1892, though the candy itself has been around for much longer.
Preparation
Traditionally, a mixture of sugar and water is heated to the
hard crack stage corresponding to a temperature of approximately to , although some recipes also call for ingredients such as glucose and salt in the first step. Nuts are mixed with the
caramelized sugar. At this point spices,
leavening agents, and often
peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is consumed in many countri ...
or butter are added. The hot candy is poured out onto a flat surface for cooling, traditionally a granite, a marble slab or a baking sheet. The hot candy may be troweled to uniform thickness. When the brittle is cool enough to handle, it is broken into pieces. It is also rare to break the brittle into equal pieces.
Nougatine
Nougatine is a similar confection to brittle, but made of sliced almonds instead of whole peanuts, which are embedded in clear caramel.
See also
*
Almond Roca
Almond Roca is a brand of chocolate-covered, almond butter crunch, hard toffee with a coating of ground almonds. It is similar to chocolate-covered English toffee. The candy is manufactured by the Brown & Haley Co. of Tacoma, Washington, found ...
*
Caramel
Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.
The process of caramelizatio ...
*
Chikki
*
Florentine biscuit
A Florentine biscuit (or simply, a Florentine) is a sweet pastry of nuts and fruit.
Florentines are made of nuts (typically hazelnuts and almonds) and candied cherries mixed with sugar melted together with butter and honey, cooked in an oven. Th ...
*
Frankfurter Kranz
*
Gajak
*
Dalgona
''Dalgona'' () or ''ppopgi'' () is a Korean candy made with melted sugar and baking soda. It was a popular street snack in the 1970s and 1980s, and is still eaten as a retro food. When a pinch of baking soda is mixed into melted sugar, the therm ...
*
Ka'í Ladrillo
Ka'í Ladrillo is a typical dessert of the Paraguayan cuisine prepared mainly with peanuts and molasses.
Origin of the name
The name ''ka’i ladrillo'' is the result of the combination of two words, “ka’i” that means “monkey” and “la ...
*
List of peanut dishes
*
Nougat
*
Pé-de-moleque
'Pé-de-Moleque' () (literally "brat's foot" in Portuguese) is a traditional candy from Brazil. It is made of peanuts and rapadura or molasses.
The candy is prepared by mixing roasted, peeled peanuts with melted brown sugar, with or without the ...
(in
Brazil)
*
Praliné
*
Toffee
*
Turrón (in Spain)
References
External links
*
Cuisine of the Southern United States
Peanut dishes
Nut confections
{{confection-stub