Penuche (, from it, panucci) is a

fudge Fudge is a type of confection that is made by mixing sugar, butter and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. In texture, this crystalline can ...

-like candy made from

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...

, and

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

, using no flavorings except for

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

. Penuche often has a tannish color, and is lighter than regular fudge. It is formed by the

caramelization Caramelization is a process of browning of sugar used extensively in cooking for the resulting sweet nutty flavor and brown color. The brown colors are produced by three groups of polymers: caramelans (C24H36O18), caramelens (C36H50O25), and ca ...

of brown sugar; thus, its flavor is said to be reminiscent of caramel.

Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

s, especially

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

s, are often added to penuche for texture, frequently in the making of penuche candies. It is primarily a regional food, found in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and some places in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, though in the latter it goes by different names, including creamy praline fudge, and brown sugar fudge candy.

Origins

''Panocha'' is said to come from the Spanish word for 'raw sugar'. It was also long rumored to be slightly dirty or naughty in nature in Portuguese as slang. Penuche is thought to have origins in Portugal and was made popular in New England among Portuguese whaling families in New Bedford, MA, and Essex, CT, during the whaling period of the mid to late 1700s through the end of commercial whaling. Penuche is also used as a boiled icing flavor. In

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, its name is localized as ''panocha'' or panuche. As an icing, it was common as topping for prune cake.

Recipes

Penuche is classed in the fudge family because it follows a similar method of preparation: #A fat-sugar solution is heated to the soft ball stage, about . #The solution is cooled without disturbance to lukewarm, about . #Flavorings are added and the solution is beaten until thick. #The mixture is poured into a pan, allowed to cool, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Most traditional (i.e. not "no-cook" or "quick") fudges follow a similar preparation method. What distinguishes penuche is the use of brown sugar rather than white. In recent years, it has become common in New England to add maple syrup to the recipe for penuche fudge. Some confectioners will call this "maple syrup penuche fudge", and others do not make any distinction at all. One penuche-style recipe is called "no-bake penuche drop cookies", which is made from brown sugar, milk, butter, oats, and nuts. A very similar confection is ''Sucre à la Crème'' (cream sugar), a Québec confection traditionally prepared during the winter holiday season. The universality of the brown sugar and dairy confection manifests in the form of a slightly crumblier treat called '' Tablet'' originating in Scotland.

Origins

Recipes

See also

References