A popular Vietnamese gift from Ha Tinh province, kẹo cu-đơ is a type of candy made from a mixture of peanuts, cane molasses, malt powder, sesame, and ginger sandwiched between black sesame rice crackers.
D received these from an acquaintance, with the package containing 5 pieces of candy.
Each piece is around 10 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm in height. Upon tasting, the sesame crackers did not carry any taste but acted as a neat vehicle for the peanuts and molasses mixture within. Alas, the mixture was not crispy or at all like peanut brittle. Rather, it was sticky and stretchy, while the peanuts were somewhat soft and not crunchy. The clincher to our disappointment, though, was the overpowering ginger taste in the molasses that left a warm and spiced aftertaste that lingered far too long on the palate. We’re fans of kẹo hạt điều but these were not comparable.
These Kẹo Cu Ðơ contained 5 pieces. It was produced in Vietnam and received as a gift from acquaintances visiting Vietnam in 2022.