The history of Japanese peanuts and their creation in the La Merced district

There is a lot of snacks, dishes and sweets which are mexican originand that even, by their name, one can guess that they have sor origin in the country. However, there are other snacks that, by name, we think they are foreigners, however, they also have their origin in Mexico.

Such is the case of japanese peanuts, Contrary to what many people think, They are not from Japan because they were created in the popular district of La Merced, Mexico City.

It was in the decade of years 40 of the last centurywhen this snack began to be sold in the neighborhood of La Merced, Mexico City. There were long lines of people looking Taste the new flavor of Japanese Yoshigei Nakatani, the creator of Japanese peanuts.

These peanutswho bathed in wheat flour, sugar syrup, shortening, water, salt, baking soda and soy sauceare proof that flavors know no borders.

It all started when Yoshigei Nakatani arrived in Mexico in 1932. In the countryside, he meets Emma Avila, whom she married in 1935 and had children, including the famous singer Yoshio (Gustavo Nakatani Ávila), who died in 2020 from complications after contracting the disease COVID-19.

Like many other migrants, Yoshigei Nakatani lived in the popular neighborhood of La Merced. I worked in a factory mother-of-pearl buttons which was part of New Japan, company of Heijiro Kato, competition from other stores, such as Iron Palace and Liverpool.

However, when he started World War II, in 1939, Relations between the countries have become complicated, due to the tension between Japan and the United States, As a result, many businesses established in Mexico have closed, including those of Kato, who had to leave the country. Thus, many immigrants found themselves unemployed.

to be out of work, 1943 Yoshigei Nakatani, He started making candies, having learned how to make them as a child while working in a Japanese candy factory. Yoshigei and his wife Emma made muéganos in the room in the neighborhood where they lived, then they imagined another fry called oranda, made from wheat and salt.

As business was going well and her candies were being sold at various candy stores in the neighborhood, Yoshigei Thought about doing something else a few peanuts that reminded him of his childhood: flour, rice and soy.

In Japan, they made Mamekashia snack of various seeds such as beans, peas and peanuts which are covered in seasoned flour, which in turn he had come to Kyoto from China in the 15th century.

However, as often happens when adapting recipes in foreign countriesYoshigei didn’t have all the original ingredients on hand, so instead of rice flour, he made them with wheat flourwhich would become a total success.

as a variety of MamekashiTHE Japanese peanuts have become a Mexican snack. Peanuts were sold in bags of cellophane and in the 50s they had already printed the name of Nippon and a little geisha that her daughter drew Elvia; According to photographs of their old packaging, they were made in the street of cartsin the Federal District, which is located near the Merced Market.

The fame of peanuts spread throughout Mexico City, new products appeared and also they began to be produced by other companies. Even if Japanese survived various economic crises, in 2017 it was bought by the coastaland at the same time another family business is born: Dulces Komiru.