West Africa · Street food
Kluiklui (Deep-Fried Crispy Groundnut Paste Rings)
Crunchy, deep-fried rings of defatted groundnut paste spiced with ginger, garlic, and dried chili.
The story
Kluiklui traces its roots directly to the Mahi people of the Zou Department around Djidja and Abomey, where women processors extracted peanut oil and shaped the residual protein-rich solids into durable rations. Traditionally made by hand-kneading ground peanut paste until it releases its oil, this street food is eaten by farmers and school children throughout the day as an energizing snack. The secret to its iconic brittle snap lies in the thorough extraction of fat, leaving a dense, starch-protein matrix that crisps uniformly when fried in the extracted oil.
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