Sheelda – Kuli Kuli Peanut Crackers
Bitter: 🟡🟡🟡○○
Salty: 🟡○○○○
Sour/Tangy: 🟡○○○○
Sweet: 🟡🟡🟡○○
Umami: 🟡🟡🟡○○
Heat: 🟡🟡🟡○○○○○○○
Quick Flavor Notes: Peanuts, ginger, carmelization
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Super crunchy with good moisture
Ingredients: Groundnut, Pepper, Onion, Ginger, Salt & Sugar
I’ve reviewed a number of spicy Asian snacks in the past but I realized that Africa has largely been a blind spot (though I have reviewed Trader Joe’s Habanero hot sauce which is made in South Africa). Africa developed a chile pepper culture before Asia, something that I was surprised to learn when I did, receiving them for Portuguese explorers and traders in the 1500s. The locals instantly embraced them due to already having a preference for pungent local herbs and spices and they quickly spread across the continent. Sheelda is a Nigerian brand which focuses on empowering women, especially rural poor women, by giving them jobs in producing their products which include peanut oil, suya spice (a traditional Nigerian spice blend), and these Kuli Kuli snacks. I love peanuts and I love spice so I thought these would be great to try.
Kuli Kuli is a traditional Nigerian snack made from peanuts (called ground nuts there) and is often a byproduct of the production of peanut oil. The paste leftover is mixed with chile peppers and other spice and fried again until crispy. It originated in northern Nigeria amongst the Nupe people, an ethnic minority that still exists in the region today but also quickly spread to Ghana and Benin. Sheelda Kuli Kuli has a refreshingly simple and clean ingredients list of groundnut (peanuts), pepper (chile pepper), onion, ginger, salt, and sugar. In fact, with the ginger, onion, chile, and peanut you could almost mistake these for a Thai flavor profile. Texturally these are incredibly crunchy in a very satisfying way with enough fat in them to make them feel indulgent without feeling greasy. The aroma is very savory with a subtle earthiness.
Sheelda doesn’t disclose which chile pepper is used in their kuli kuli but looking up common varieties in Nigeria it appears that a variation on the scotch bonnet, a variation on the cayenne, and a smoky local pepper from Cameroon are all popular. Apparently cayenne is the most commonly used in kuli kuli and that seems to track from the flavor to me. I don’t get a lot of chile fruitiness in these but there is a quick and surprisingly intense heat that has some build. There’s some peanut flavor but being the dried and fried remains of peanuts after the extraction of peanut oil it’s quite a bit different from a traditional whole peanut flavor. The ginger combined with the peanuts and sugar give these a hint of a ginger-snap taste, giving them a warm and cozy vibe. The onion flavor isn’t very strong and in fact I’d assume may be caramelized so it’s adding more sweetness than pungency but there is a general umami savoriness that lies underneath the peanuts and spices which keeps these from venturing into completely sweet-treat cookie territory. The frying process also seems to bring out a slightly-more-than-subtle bitterness as well, a flavor just this side shy of burnt, that I very much enjoy in these as it adds more depth especially with the sweeter spices.
The nutrition information confuses me a bit. It says two 100g servings per bag but the front of the bag says the total weight is 100g. It also says each serving contains 80 calories however it also says each serving contains 20 grams of fat, which is 180 calories on its own plus 52 net carbs which would be another 208 calories. These aren’t nearly as greasy as to have that much fat per serving nor can I figure out where all of the carbs would come from as 100 grams of peanuts (raw) should have about 14-15 net carbs. There’s some funny math here, also the 0mg of sodium even though salt is on the label. On the bright side these do provide you with 90% of your daily RDA of manganese!
Nutritional label weirdness aside (and they’re in no way the only ones I’ve ever seen fill their nutrition labels in seemingly via madlibs) I’m happy to give Sheelda Kuli Kuli Peanut Crackers my full recommendation. They’re unique, delicious, surprisingly spicy, have a great crunch, and help support impoverished women in Nigeria, so it’s a win-win-win. Not only that, these are all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
