Also peanut candy, Ha Tinh is famous for Cu Do, Vinh Phuc is famous for Cu Mot, is the way of making it different?

Cu Mot peanut candy is especially delicious because the process is completely handmade. On the days of the Northeast monsoon or Tet, there is nothing better than sitting and sipping a cup of hot tea with Cu Mot peanut candy, a ripe banana and chatting about a few stories.
Not only famous locally, Cu Mot peanut candy (production facility in Dinh Trung ward, Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province) is also packed by many customers in their backpacks when traveling to the West. This rustic gift is loved by many overseas Vietnamese because it contains many memories.

It may sound unbelievable, but when you see the product with your own eyes, you will believe that many people over 80 years old can still eat Cu Mot peanut candy because the candy bar is covered with peanuts. You have to be very sharp-eyed to see the sugar and maltose, so the product is crispy, spongy and not hard.

Just a light bite, the crispy peanuts will burst in your mouth, the candy has a fragrant, sweet taste due to little sugar and malt.

Cu Mot peanut candy of Le Van Cuong business household is a traditional product, made entirely by hand, so it is not available in large quantities, if you want to buy it, you have to order in advance.

There are even times when the products are not sold in time. During Tet, many customers often order Cu Mot peanut candy as gifts, included in gift baskets and the product is always favored by customers, highly appreciated for its rare delicious taste.

Cũng là kẹo lạc thôi, Hà Tĩnh nổi tiếng Cu Đơ, Vĩnh Phúc nổi danh Cu Mót- Ảnh 1.

Preliminary processing of peanuts to make the famous Cu Mot peanut candy in Dinh Trung ward, Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province).

The secret to making delicious Cu Mot peanut candy is the selection of ingredients. The peanuts are carefully selected by the owner of the establishment, they must be the small peanuts, peeled by hand. After roasting, there must be a incubation period for the peanuts to become golden brown, fully ripe and more delicious.

Next, the peanut shells are thoroughly cleaned; each peanut is carefully selected and discarded. Although the process is simple, the owner of the establishment does it very carefully and also takes a lot of time.

Mr. Le Van Cuong, owner of Cu Mot peanut candy facility, said: “Previously, my mother was an employee of Vinh Yen Confectionery Enterprise (formerly), so my family has a traditional peanut candy making profession. Up to now, after nearly 30 years, my family has maintained the candy making profession and has just been assessed and recognized by Vinh Yen city as a 3-star OCOP product.”

In addition to peanuts as the main ingredient, sugar and malt are needed to make candy. According to the owner, the product does not contain preservatives, so the shelf life is within 3 months. This is also the time when peanut candy tastes best. If left for too long, the peanuts will go stale and not as delicious as when they were first made, so the facility does not make much, and sells as soon as they are made.

On the other hand, because it is a family business, the owner of the establishment does not accept outsiders to work for him. Only 3-4 brothers in the family organize candy making to keep the trade secret.

Mr. Cuong is very careful in the process of cooking sugar and maltose. For each batch of peanut candy, he adds very little sugar and maltose, so the product is not hard or too sweet. In other words, he only adds enough sugar and maltose to bind the peanuts together.

Instead of eating 1-2 pieces, with Cu Mot peanut candy, each person can eat 3-4 pieces without getting bored and many customers order the product as gifts.

This is also the reason why the product is available in many big cities such as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City and even abroad. Especially at the end of the year, when overseas Vietnamese return home to celebrate Tet, many families often order in advance to send a dear hometown gift to relatives and friends.

Mr. Cuong added: "There are many types of peanuts on the market, but my family only buys peanuts from the Tam Duong, Lap Thach, and Tam Dao regions because the peanuts are round and of good quality."

Also in the process of cooking sugar, water, and malt in proportion, Mr. Cuong simultaneously puts peanuts in a pan to roast over low heat. When both ingredients are heated to the right temperature, pour them in and mix them together, then pour them onto a rolling table, cool them, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Because they are handmade, the facility can make a maximum of 60-80 boxes of peanut candy (weight ½ kg/box) per day.

With the brand recently recognized by the locality as an OCOP product in 2023, Cu Mot peanut candy has its value enhanced as well as its product quality affirmed. Thereby, creating favorable conditions for the product to increasingly reach further, promoting the local traditional craft and contributing more abundantly to the One Commune One Product program.

Below are pictures of some processes of making Cu Mot peanut candy products, Dinh Trung ward, Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province.