Product Review: cacahuates japoneses

The name cacahuates japoneses means, in Spanish, "Japanese peanuts". So, when I had these in México as an LDS missionary [1], I thought that these were either a variety of peanut that was developed in Japan or that it was a peanut species that was native to Japan. Not so. They are, in fact, just regular old peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) coated with a soy-flavored shell. They were invented in México by a Japanese man, named Yoshigei Nakatani, in 1945.[2] The name refers to the ethnicity of their inventor, but the snack itself is Mexican.

My verdict: Given I didn't have very many alternatives in México, I thought these were pretty good. But now that I'm back in the states, they've lost some of their luster. Due to their artificial shell, cacahuates japoneses are a lot crunchier than a regular peanut. The flavor of the shell is kind of interesting, but I'd rather have burnt peanuts or Boston baked beans. Still, on the rare occasions that I eat these, they also have a little flavor of nostalgia to them.

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Notes:

[1] For those who are unsure why Latter-day Saints (Mormons) go on missions, I recommend you visit here and here, where you can learn more about LDS beliefs concerning sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you have more questions, ask and maybe I'll do a full post on the topic.

[2] See http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=33556&tabla=articulos (article in Spanish).