Southern-Style Snacking

An apparently popular bit of southern snacking is salted peanuts in Coca-Cola.

Maybe this is to be expected.  Dr. John Pemberton developed and first started selling Coca-Cola in Georgia.  That state is also responsible for 42% of the U.S. peanut harvest.  Maybe it was destiny that these two things have come together for some southern snacking.

Let’s find out if it’s a good thing that they did.

The Recipe

Making salted peanuts in Coca-Cola is easy.  First, we must get a bottle of Coca-Cola and some peanuts.  I have selected a 500 ml bottle of Coke and a 65g bag of peanuts.

Next, drink a small amount of the Coke to make some room for the peanuts.

Now, add some peanuts.  Either drop them in one at a time or make a funnel with your hand to get them in there faster.

There will be some bubbling around the peanuts, and that’s it! For better or worse, this recipe is complete.

Initial Impressions

So, the look of this is off-putting.  Soft drinks are supposed to bubble, but this isn’t what its is supposed to look like.  A definite loser on the looks.

But lots of things look unappetizing but are tasty.  There is only one way to determine if this is a winner, and that’s to try some.

First off, I am surprised that the Coca-Cola and peanuts manage to both make it to the mouth at the same time.  I didn’t think that was going to happen.  I was fearing I’d have a pile of peanuts at the bottle of the bottle.

Once they hit the mouth, things aren’t quite as successful.  The first mouthful is a bit salty.  That isn’t bad, but it is unexpected. After that, the Coke loses its sweetness and the peanuts are cold and soggy.

Better over time?

Some things, like Cilantro, are distasteful the first go around, and then a taste of it develops.  With this in mind, I persevered.

I don’t think it got any better.

The general taste is a bit like candy bar where some of the candy wasn’t added.  It isn’t repulsive, but I also wouldn’t call it good.  At least that is true as long as the peanuts are there.  There was a tiny bit of soda left at the end and it was salty to an unfortunate degree.

Also, my stomach was feeling a bit funny afterward.  I don’t really know why that is.   I have snacked on peanuts and chased them down with Coke before, so I wasn’t expecting to feel ill.  But perhaps the feeling is because I had the combo for breakfast.

Final Thoughts

So who is this little bit of southern snacking for?  I don’t know.  The Coke and peanuts are better by themselves.  Maybe if you are only allowed to take a drink somewhere but not a snack?  All I can say for sure is that it isn’t for me.