How Cacahuates Japoneses Became a Crunchy Icon in Mexico City — A Tale of Flavor, Fusion, and Immigrant Roots

Cacahuates japoneses are a staple snack in Mexico. But, have you ever wondered why they are called cacahuates japoneses if they are made in Mexico? Well, the short answer is immigration. The longer answer dives into the immigrant experience and resilience that comes with building a new life in a new world. Like so many other foods, cacahuates japoneses have a rich history of converging cultures and immigrant determination. Here’s a brief history on one of Mexico’s most iconic snack foods.

Cacahuates japoneses were invented by a Japanese immigrant living in Mexico

Some people might think that cacahuates japoneses was invented in Japan, but that isn’t true. The popular snack food was born out of the immigrant experience in Mexico City. Yoshigei Nakatani, a Japanese immigrant, settled in Mexico in 1932 and worked to build a new life for himself in the new country. There, he fell in love with a young Mexican woman named Emma Ávila. The couple married in 1935.

Originally, Nakatani worked for a mother-of-pearl button factory called El Nuevo Japón. The factory was soon closed when the proprietor was accused of being a spy for the Japanese Empire. The Mexican government started to crack down on people and families of Japanese descent in response to Japan joining the global conflict against the United States. Many families were forced to relocate and settled in Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Losing his work and drawing on experience, Nakatani turned his focus to snacks

With no job, Nakatani did what most immigrants do, he got to work finding an alternative plan to support his family. Drawing on his apprenticeship at a candy store in his hometown Sumoto in the Hyogo Prefecture, Nakatani and Ávila started to create snacks. They started with muéganos, a fried dough with piloncillo syrup. From there, they started to make what they called orandas, an elongated, salted wheat flour fritter.

The couple continued to experiment with their snacks while Nakatani worked at La Merced Market in the La Merced neighborhood of Mexico City. Soon, Nakatani decided to recreate a snack that he enjoyed while living in Japan. This is where Nakatani’s innovation created the Mexican snack staple that we have come to love.

Nakatani wanted to recreate the Japanese treat but was in a land that didn’t have the ingredients he knew. Instead of using peanuts, rice flour, and soybeans, Nakatani improvised the recipe. Nakatani replaced the rice flour with wheat flour. Instead of the traditional soy sauce, he created a sauce using piloncillo, water, salt, chiles guajillo, and caramel coloring. With his ingredients in hand, he started to create cacahuetas japoneses and started to sell them on the street.

The new snack was a hit in Mexico and paved a path for Nakatani and his family

The snack was a successful venture for Nakatani and his family. Residents in the La Merced neighborhood loved the treat and it wasn’t long until Nakatani was able to afford a stall at El Mercado de La Merced. Demand grew so quickly that he was able to keep expanding and named the product “Cacahuate Nipón” in honor of his home country.

Nakatani didn’t patent the snack and it wasn’t long until copycats started to produce their own versions. The growing popularity created an indelible mark on Mexico’s culinary history. Cacahuates japoneses joined a growing list of foods and snacks created in Mexico by immigrants from around the world. Mexico, and the immigrants that call it home, helped to create tacos al pastor, the Caesar salad, fish tacos, and even horchata. These dishes have deep roots in immigration and ingenuity as people settling in Mexico used ingredients available to recreate foods from their home countries.