[Photographs: Peanut Butter and Co.]

A few months ago I shared my first encounter with Kare Kare, a Filipino peanut stew I tried while scuba-diving in Cebu. While in the Philippines, I also discovered three local sweets, all made with my favorite ingredient: the peanut (of course).

They sold something called Peanut Browas, which are light cookies shaped like delicate little fingers (or are they peanut-shaped?).

They also had Peanut Kisses, which are crunchy meringue bites, a little sweeter than the Browas and shaped like macaroons.

And finally, Peanut Cakes, flaky little squares with a Butterfinger-like consistency, but slightly less sweet.

So many countries have unique treats, often a combination of local flavor preferences combined with crops that are in large supply and hence inexpensive enough to be eaten daily. Do you have any favorite nutty snacks or sweets from where you were born or places you've visited?

About the author: Lee Zalben was a PB&J-loving kid that grew up to be the founder and president of Peanut Butter & Co., which began as a Greenwich Village sandwich shop serving nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and expanded to include the now-famous line of all natural flavored peanut butter. Lee is a graduate of Vassar College and enjoys traveling the world in search of interesting foods made with peanuts, tree nuts, and seeds. When he's not working, eating, flying or writing, he enjoys scuba diving and training elephants.

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