The best way to start the celebration? Serving these unforgettable treats.
A truly memorable snack can be the opening act to any holiday meal. As a kind of aperitif for the palate, small bites stir our taste buds and can be great conversation starters. But to make the best party-starters, you need some ground rules.
Rule No. 1: No utensils. Rule No. 2: Nothing too salty or cloyingly sweet. And No. 3, there should be something for everyone.
These snacks check those boxes and so many more.
Recipes: Chukchuk (Coconut Caramel Clusters) | Savory Holiday Nut Mix | Gúgúrú àti Epà (Sweet-Salty Popcorn and Peanuts)
The first is a lovely combination of popped corn kernels and roast peanuts. Known in Yorùbá as gúgúrú àti epà (maize and groundnuts), this is a classic snack in Lagos, and familiar to many across West Africa. Typically sold street side, it’s a fantastic combination of lightly spiced, slightly sweet popcorn and nuts, all things that go crunch-crunch-crunch.
This second leans more savory, featuring nuts enlivened with citrus, sage, fennel and cumin, and delicately held together with whipped egg whites, for a headier, more sophisticated snack bowl you might see on the bar. Large nuts such as pecans, walnuts and cashews work best, and seeds such as pumpkin, sesame or even flaxseeds can fill the spaces in between. When gently baked in a low temperature oven, this mix will release a fragrant parade, marching through to fill your kitchen and home with its scent.
Endearingly named chukchuk or shukshuk in Lagos for the prickly nature of the dried, shredded coconut bits, this last snack is familiar to anyone who loves the texture of fresh grated coconut. Large flakes of dried, unsweetened coconut are tossed in a caramel spiced with nutmeg, allspice and cloves then formed into clusters and baked. The result is a snack that’s sturdy enough to be hand-held or passed around in a bowl, but skews on the lighter side of a classic brittle.
All can be the first bite when hosting family or friends, or packaged as a holiday gift to send to loved ones as a way to bring the warmth and closeness of celebrations into the palm of your hand.
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