A-Li Peanut Candy

Review

A-Li Peanut Candy is on Gubao Street, close to Anping Old Fort and the Anping Tree House, and is a small handmade peanut candy shop that often appears in Anping Old Street souvenir guides. Compared with the street's big preserved-fruit and shrimp cracker stores it is modest, focusing on peanut sweets made by hand on site and stressing that no brown sugar, white sugar or preservatives are added.

The signatures are soft peanut candy and the coriander peanut roll. The soft candy is tender with a strong peanut aroma, while the roll wraps soft peanut candy around fresh coriander, a distinctly Taiwanese sweet-savory-herbal combination. Diners mention a 300 g pack costing about NT$110, and other handmade peanut snacks are available to sample and choose from.

Praise centers on the surprisingly good pairing of coriander and peanut, peanut candy that is fragrant without being cloying, and the warmth of handmade goods. Some overseas visitors admit coriander in a sweet is not for them, though they still like the peanut candy itself; others feel the price is not cheap by weight and note that the coriander rolls do not keep long.

Hours run roughly from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., closed Wednesdays. Because there are no preservatives and the rolls contain fresh coriander, sources advise eating soon after buying; if they are gifts, buy them just before heading home and mind storage. The shop is on an old-street lane where weekend parking is hard, so stop by on foot while exploring.

It suits anyone wanting to bring home a distinctive Tainan snack or brave enough to try a coriander sweet. On a first visit, buy a small pack of coriander peanut rolls and a pack of plain soft peanut candy to compare, or stick to plain if coriander is not your thing; eat them quickly for the best texture and remind gift recipients to enjoy them soon.