Sweet and Spicy Flavors of the Dulceria

Arriving on Sunday at the bustling, I strolled right past a large dulceria stand (candy and nut vendor), but was soon drawn back by the scent of roasting peanuts. The dulceria was situated among flea market stands that offered computer games, stereos and clothing. But this one wasn’t hard to miss; the owner, walking from one end to the other, proudly shouted out in Spanish and English the quality of the snacks offered at his tables.

The stand was divided into two parts: One section sheltered an array of brightly colored fruta cristalizada (candied fruits and vegetables)—chunks of bright orange squash and sweet potatoes, luscious inky black mission figs, plump brown pears, green melon quarters, pineapple and a few items I couldn’t identify—all crystallized in sugar. I sampled pieces of fig and squash. Each was very sweet in its own way. The figs were surprisingly moist and earthy, almost like cooked beets. The squash had a lighter, starchy sweetness.

At one end of the candied fruit area, two teenagers were busy slicing and deep-frying sweet potatoes, dunking them into sizzling hot oil with big wire-mesh “skimmers.” Customers took their freshly fried chips to a condiment table and sprinkled them with lemon juice, hot chili, salt or all three. My companion and I bought a package. The chips were unsalted, crackling crisp and tasty with a drizzle of lemon juice. Frankly, I much prefer these to the packaged variety.

At the other end of the stand, there was a wonderful selection of roasted and spiced nuts—shelled and unshelled. The vendor handed me a sample of almonds. It was a delight to taste them still warm and smoky from the large roaster, which was situated at the rear of the tent. Occasionally one of the workers would don leather gloves, slide the metal door of the roaster open and shovel out peanuts in their shells, hot and lightly singed. A few flames leapt out from under the roasting drum.

The owner, Carlos Perez, says he's had his stand ht the flea market for a year and a half, but he has been in the business for more than 20 years, operating Dulceria Vargas on Sanborn Road in Salinas with his wife, Irma Cano. Perez carries on after his father, who operated 20 dulceria stands in Oaxaca, Mexico, for many years (Perez himself is from Hidalgo). The stands were favorites of truck drivers, who would stop by to pick up roasted nuts—a quick and tasty blast of protein—to sustain them on long drives.

Many family members and friends have helped out in the store and at the stand, and Perez is especially proud of being able to provide younger family members with something useful to do, a safe place where they can learn how to handle money and work with customers.

After talking to Perez, we perused the bins. The most popular nuts seemed to be the roasted peanuts in the shell. But there were also almonds, pecans, pepitas (roasted spiced pumpkin seeds), Japanese peanuts, roasted green peas and traditional Mexican candies. We purchased a big bag of peanuts, some almonds and spiced fava beans in the shell.

On the way home in the car, I tried the fava beans; they were crunchy, very lightly salted and dusted in chili and lime. It was a delicious snack, a reminder of the family and friends that contribute their efforts to the dulceria, and the community that enjoys their offerings.

Flea Market and Certified Farmers Market: 2601 E. Lake Ave. Open weekly on Sundays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dulceria Vargas: 60 N. Sanborn Rd., Salinas. 831-595-8332.