Pistach griye — roasted peanuts with coarse salt
Peanuts roasted in the shell then salted, crunchy and toasted. The quintessential Haitian popular snack, offered as much to busy living people as to patient spirits.
Peanuts roasted in the shell then salted, crunchy and toasted. The quintessential Haitian popular snack, offered as much to busy living people as to patient spirits.
Hear that? Krak, krak — the sound of pistach cracking between teeth. That's the music of my cemeteries, ti moun! They sell them on street corners in paper cones, and I ask for a handful, well-roasted, well-salted, to place on my cross. Crack the shell, throw me the seeds: a dead man is hungry too, and the old Baron's stomach is rumbling.
- •Peanuts in shell — a good measure (the snack itself)
- •Coarse salt — to taste (seasoning)
Pistach griye — roasted peanuts with coarse salt
Peanuts roasted in the shell then salted, crunchy and toasted. The quintessential Haitian popular snack, offered as much to busy living people as to patient spirits.
Why this dish? Roasted peanuts are among the Baron's simple offerings, and also the quintessential street snack: a cone of hot pistach sold near markets and... cemeteries.
Hear that? Krak, krak — the sound of pistach cracking between teeth. That's the music of my cemeteries, ti moun! They sell them on street corners in paper cones, and I ask for a handful, well-roasted, well-salted, to place on my cross. Crack the shell, throw me the seeds: a dead man is hungry too, and the old Baron's stomach is rumbling.
Ingredients (period version)
- Peanuts in shell — a good measure (the snack itself)
- Coarse salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Raw peanuts in shell (or raw shelled peanuts) — 300 g (base)
- Coarse sea salt — 1 tbsp (seasoning)
- Water — a bowl (light brine (optional salting))
Method
- Salty option: briefly dip in-shell peanuts in well-salted water, then drain.
- Spread on a baking sheet.
- Roast at 175 °C for 20-25 min, stirring, until the shell turns golden and the seeds smell toasted.
- Let cool (they become crunchy as they cool), add more salt to shelled peanuts if needed.
- Serve in a paper cone, street vendor style.
How it was made : The peanut, a plant native to South America, has been cultivated and roasted in Haiti since colonial times. The street trade of pistach griye is a popular institution, and peanuts also go into tablèt pistach (peanut brittle).
The contemporary twist : Present in a small kraft paper cone stamped with a stylized vévé, like from a street vendor in Port-au-Prince.
Sources : Alfred Métraux, Le Vaudou haïtien (1958)
Baron Samedi · Charactorium