Peanut puffs – cult classic or styrofoam abomination?
26.6.2024
Translation: Eva Francis
The recipe hasn’t changed in over 60 years. Peanut puffs – you might know them as Peanut Flips, Bambas or Cheetos Peanut – have defied all snack trends. Here are five facts about these salty, peanut-flavoured mini sausages.
In the latest episode of our Swiss-German culinary podcast «Uftischt», Judith and I tested and rated five brands of peanut puffs. The undisputed winner was Peanut Flips by Zweifel, which we had to buy from a specialist shop. How could we have known they’d be sold out at the supermarket on the day we recorded the podcast?
The good news for you is you don’t need to go to a specialist shop. The test winner is available on Galaxus.
The fact that we outed ourselves as peanut puffs fans immediately became the subject of controversy among listeners. Those who hate them say they stick to the roof of your mouth and have no flavour at all. Indeed, peanut puffs really haven’t gone with the times. While there are new flavours of crisps all the time, these puffy peanut sausages have defied all trends. So it’s high time for a few peanut puff facts.
The main ingredient in peanut puffs isn’t peanuts
«32% peanuts» is written on the packaging of winner Zweifel Peanut Flips. What on earth are the remaining 67 per cent? Corn and oils. The packet also says: «Snack made from corn and peanuts». Cornmeal is crushed under pressure and pressed out of an extruder. It binds into a dough and puffs up under heat. Only then are the 32 per cent peanuts added in the form of peanut butter. To see this in detail, check out the video below by German TV broadcaster ZDF’s «Besseresser» programme.
Popular in German-speaking countries, Serbia and Israel
The combination of small sausage and peanut flavour’s a classic – but only in German-speaking countries, Israel and Serbia. Around the same time as the German company Bahlsen, an Israeli company invented the same peanut snack in 1963. The Israeli version’s called Bamba and is considered a children’s snack. The name is supposed to mimic many children’s first words. Bamba are iconic in Israel. They even made the album cover of a rap group.accounting for 25 per cent of the Israeli snack market, according to Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, Bamba account for 25 per cent of the Israeli snack market. That’s good news for a Swiss company. Osem, the manufacturer of Bamba, belongs to Nestlé. The Serbian version Stark Smoki has been on the market since the 1970s and is popular in all countries of former Yugoslavia. So popular, in fact, that Smoki has become the generic name for peanut puffs there. France also has its own version called Curly.
Thank you, dear Community. I learned about Smoki from you and added them to this article after you told me about them.
Cheese puffs bombed
Had things turned out differently, people in Switzerland would be eating cheese puffs instead of peanut puffs today. Osem’s original concept was to market cheese puffs, but the snack didn’t take off, so they changed the flavour to peanut. If you’re wondering what cheese-flavoured puffs taste like, try Cheetos Cheese.
Peanut puffs are baked, not deep-fried
Although most puffy snacks contain oil, they’re not deep-fried, but baked in a large drum. That’s where peanut butter and oil are added. If you skip this step, you get the corn sticks that are popular baby snacks.
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Peanut puffs taste and look different in other countries
There are also plenty of other puffed corn snacks in many shapes and flavours. Even a sweet strawberry-flavoured version of Bamba is available in Israel. Cheese-flavoured ones are much more popular in the USA and Denmark. And in Japan, you can buy long corn sticks, called Umaibo, with various flavours such as teriyaki chicken, vegetable salad or fish roe. If you’re visiting Tokyo, you can try all sorts of Umaibo at a dagashi bar. These are nostalgic bars for adults that look like old sweet shops and offer all kinds of snacks at a flat rate.
What’s your opinion on peanut puffs? Are they your favourite snack or do you find them repulsive? Let me know in the comment section.
P.S.: I’d like to say no peanut puffs were harmed in the making of this article, but we were forced to open a packet of Zweifel Peanut Flips for the header image. It’s now empty.
Header image: Simon Balissat
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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