Japanese-style peanuts

Japanese-style peanuts, also known asJapanese peanutsorcracker nuts(widely known in the Spanish-speaking world ascacahuates japonesesormaní japonés),are a type ofsnack foodmade frompeanutsthat are coated in a wheat flour dough and then fried or roasted.They come in a variety of different flavors. The Mexican version's recipe for the extra-crunchy shell has ingredients such as wheat flour, soy sauce, water, sugar, monosodium glutamate, and citric acid.The snacks are often sold in sealed bags,but can also be found in bulk containers.
Japanese-style peanuts were created in Mexico during the 1940s by Japanese immigrant Yoshihei Nakatani, the father ofYoshioandCarlos Nakatani.He lost his job after the mother-of-pearl button factory he worked at, namedEl Nuevo Japón, was forced to close after its proprietor came under suspicion of being a spy for the Empire of Japan.
Nakatani had to find alternatives to provide for his family.He obtained a job atLa Merced Market, where he initially sold Mexican candies calledmuéganos[es]. Later, he developed a new variety of fried snacks he namedorandathat he named afterthe like-named fish. He also created a new version of a snack that reminded him of his homeland,mamekashi(seeds covered with a layer of flour with spices), that he adapted to Mexican tastes.Nakatani sold them in packages decorated with ageishadesign made by his daughter Elvia.While his children tended to the family business, Nakatani and his wife Emma sold the snacks on local streets.Sales of the snacks were so successful that Nakatani was able to obtain his own stall at the market.With the help of Nakatani's son Armando, the family established their business under the brandNipónin the 1950s; the name was registered as a trademark in 1977.
Nakatani never registered the patent for the snack. As a result, various competitors made their own versions of Japanese-style peanuts. Nakatani's company Nipón remained independent until it was sold to Totis in 2017.
Chinese IndonesianFrans Go established theNetherlandsbased company Go & Zoon (later Go-Tan) and began manufacturingborrelnootjes, peanuts coated in a crisp starch-based shell, under the name Katjang Shanghai (Shanghai nuts) in the 1950s.In China, the snack is often called "fish-skin peanuts".
Thai snack food company Mae-Ruay started producing peanuts fried in a wheat flour-based batter flavoured with coconut cream under the brand nameKoh-Kaein 1976.
Picard Peanuts is a Canadian company that produces Chip Nuts, a snack food brand consisting of peanuts that have a potato chip coating.Various flavors of potato chips are used in the product's production.
An identical product is sold inLebanonunder the name "krikri".
In the United States, there exists a commercially available snack made of individual peanuts encased in a shell made of flour and whole sesame seeds. It's commonly found in health food stores and sometimes in the bulk section of conventional grocery stores.
The term "cracker nuts" was first used by the Philippine brandNagarayain 1968.
A Japanese version originated in Okinawa, called Takorina, has the image of a Mexican charro in the bag, and it is claimed to be called "Mexican-style peanuts", though the rumour has been disproven.