I first became acquainted with Jordan Almonds as wedding favors, and to this day I’m not sure I’ve seen one elsewhere, aside from scant appearances at Sweet Sixteens or other commemorative milestone events. This doesn’t seem an entirely unjust fate for what few would argue as the world’s greatest candy, especially one whose purpose often appears to be largely aesthetic, although I’m glad they haven’t vanished altogether. I was therefore unprepared to find a cousin out in the wild, especially lurking within the aromatic confines of a Middle Eastern grocery. As with many such bits of de-ethnicized cultural detritus, it’s almost surprising to learn that they have an extensive history, one linked to a candying style that that can apparently also be applied to chickpeas, making for a pastel-colored sack of fun. Resembling a small clutch of balloons, these are actually a type of dragee, a confection category which comprises any small item coated in a thin candy shell (technically, M&Ms are dragees, although few would label them as such). These retain the light funk possessed by all dried chickpeas, which makes for a bit of difficulty in enjoying them solely as a sweet snack. As with the almonds, the candy coating also softens the object inside, robbing it of some of its crunch. In terms of specific history, this site labels them as Lebanese, where they have they’re known as “mlabbas aa qdameh,” a fact which squares with the source of the peas, Atlantic Ave’s Oriental Pastry and Grocery. A close relative of Noghl, chickpeas coated in sugar and rosewater, which of course also have an almond version as well.
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While the first half of our trip was marked by an excessive program of cross-peninsular gallivanting, the second involved an extended stay on Isla Mujeres, a necessary sop to a wife who’s not a huge fan of being run ragged for two weeks so I can eat 14 different kinds of tostada. I had no complaints. It was wonderful to be back again in the best of all possible worlds, with a chance to revisit some old favorites and clean up on a few missed Yucatecan dishes.
The city of San Francisco de Campeche, while blessed with a fairly mellifluous name in Spanish, disguises a less palatable one in its original Mayan, where “Campeche” translates to “Place of Snakes and Ticks.” Such nuisances are by now long gone, and while the place remains a bit off the beaten path in terms of American tourism, it’s still a popular destination for Mexican nationals and European backpackers. The city is the capital of the state of the same name, yet just as the local refining boom town Ciudad del Carmen represents the region’s modern industrial aspirations, Campeche reflects its sleepy, Baroque past. The food culture here, along with that stemming from the inland, colonial-era hub of Valladolid, is steeped in old-world flavors, with a particular emphasis on the fruits of the peak-period spice trade.
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