National Peanut Brittle Day is observed on January 26. A hard, flat candy confection, this treat is popular throughout the United States.
Peanut Brittle is made of caramelized sugar or corn syrup. After the nuts are added it is poured out on a flat surface such as granite or marble and smoothed to an even sheet. When cooled the candy is broken into pieces. Some of the best brittles are even hand stretch to a thin, easily cracked candy that melts in the mouth.
The history of peanut brittle is uncertain, though one legend says it was all a mistake. The story goes that a southern woman was making taffy and instead of using cream of tartar, she used baking soda by accident.
From Foodimentary.com:
Here are today’s five thing to know about Peanut Brittle:
- “Brittle” , a flat hardened sugar candy, is thought to be one of the first candies ever made.
- Peanut brittle made with corn syrups & nuts began appearing in cookbooks around the 19th century.
- Because we find peanut brittle recipes most commonly in American cookbooks, it is generally recognized as an American recipe.
- The history of peanut brittle is tied to Tony Beaver, a lumberjack folk hero. In the story, Tony Beaver creates peanut brittle when he stops a flood using peanuts and molasses.
- According to the history of peanut brittle candy, brittle was probably the first candy ever made.
CandyHistory noted: For those of you not acquainted with Tony Beaver, he’s a character in Southern folklore, often referred to as the cousin of Paul Bunyan. As the story goes, Beaver saved a town from flood by pouring peanuts and molasses into the river. In the end, the town was saved and the people had a delicious treat to commemorate the occasion.
From WhenGuide.com: Another theory is that it was originally a Celtic dessert. According to the story, the Celts served this during the holidays. Thus, the history of peanut brittle began in Europe according to this legend. Supposedly the Celts made them by mixing sugar with peanut butter and baking them.
From Europe the food made its way to America in the 1830s. This was courtesy of the Irish that settled in the New World. These immigrants came to be known for their cooking. Among their delicacies of course, was this mixture of peanut butter and sugar.
