Candied chickpeas in the Bay Area?

April 14, 2008 10:49 PM

Where to get candied chickpeas in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Some time ago I was completely blown away by some sugared/candied chickpeas which (I'm told) had been purchased at a Middle-Eastern market in New York. They're pastel and sugar coated a la Jordan Almonds and are just as delicious without breaking your teeth. I've been in and out of a few Middle-Eastern places around town without luck, and the only brick-and-mortar store I can find on Google or Yelp is in Boston. (For what it's worth, there are a few places that seem to sell them online but they all seem to be kind of sketchy and/or overseas. And I'd love to be able to walk in to a local shop to pick some up.)

posted by rafter to food & drink (6 comments total)

My god, that sounds awesome.

My kids are addicted to savory roasted chickpeas, which I make by tossing them with olive oil, herbs and salt and then roasting until they're crunchy-chewy. I will eagerly await a way that I can get sugary chickpeas into their gullets.
posted by padraigin at 10:53 PM on April 14

Well, for online purchases, Kalustyan's has them. I've never had a problem ordering from them.
posted by cobaltnine at 3:53 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]

I haven't had candied chick peas, but a quick web search turns up companies that manufacture in Turkey and Lebanon. I would bet good money that if you called or stopped at Habibi's restaurant in Fremont, the owner Samir would know where to find them. He's kind of a font of knowledge for all things Lebanese.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:32 AM on April 15

If you're worried about sketchy, Kalustyan's isn't; they regularly win or place in the tasting ratings in Cook's Illustrated and are one of that magazine's trusted vendors. They don't mess around with crummy websites.
posted by bcwinters at 4:46 AM on April 15

They call them garbanzo beans out here. I get a lot of weird looks when I say chickpeas. Hope that will help your search.
posted by idiotfactory at 11:58 AM on April 15

A belated thanks to everyone. If I ever get out to Richmond I may take up your advice, BrotherCaine.

I looked into ordering them on Kalustyan's as suggested but I couldn't justify paying $6 shipping on a $6 bag of candy. But a friend in New York was able to pick them up there, and will be bringing them next week when he visits. Thanks!
posted by rafter at 4:23 PM on July 11