Brandgut Peacetazie. Pistachio cream made from roasted pistachios – crunchy, caramel-like, and with a pinch of sea salt.
Brandgut Peacetazie is a crunchy cream made from roasted pistachios by Brandgut from Hamburg. The 160g jar contains 45% pistachios, along with sugar, sunflower oil, vanilla sugar, and 1.4% sea salt. It is not a smooth pistachio paste and not a chocolate cream with pistachio flavor.
Peacetazie from Brandgut began with an idea that everyone knows from the fairground. That’s where the scent of roasted almonds comes from: nuts that are heated with sugar until a crunchy caramel crust forms. Meike Grosch and Daniel Thaung have applied this principle to other nuts in Hamburg and brought it into a jar. The name Brandgut roughly translates to "roasted goods." In this jar, it’s pistachios that are roasted and processed into a cream. A portion of the caramelized pieces remains, which is why it crunches when you eat it. This clearly distinguishes it from two products with which it is often confused. A pure pistachio paste consists only of ground pistachios and is more of a baking ingredient. With a pistachio chocolate cream, on the other hand, the chocolate is usually the focus. This cream lies in between: sweet like a spread, with almost half the jar being pistachios, and a crust that you can taste. The name is a little play on words between the English "peace" and the pistachio.
Taste
The pistachio cream tastes of roasted pistachio with caramel sweetness and a distinct pinch of sea salt. The texture is creamy yet crunchy.
When you open the jar, it smells warm and toasted. The first spoonful then shows what makes the cream special: first comes the sweetness of the sugar crust, then the nutty, slightly green note of the pistachio. In between, small pieces of caramelized nut crackle. In the end, the sea salt ensures that the sweetness does not linger. With 1.4% salt, it is in the middle of the Brandgut range. The Mandelikat has slightly less at 1%, while cashew, pecan, and peanut have slightly more at 1.6%.
The color is not a bright ice-cream-parlor green, but a natural, muted green with brownish tones from the caramel. Anyone expecting a smooth, intensely green cream will have to change their expectations when opening it. Anyone who likes pistachios in their roasted form will get exactly that. The sweetness is clear; after all, sugar is the second most important ingredient after the pistachios. A thin spread is therefore usually enough.
Because Brandgut avoids additives, the nut oil will separate and settle at the top of the jar over time. The crunch sinks to the bottom. That is a good sign and not a mistake. Simply stir the cream thoroughly before use, and the oil and crunchy pieces will distribute evenly again.
Use
You can spread the cream on bread, spoon it over ice cream, or fill it into crêpes. Cakes, cheese, and warm dishes are other areas of application. And, of course, it can also be eaten straight from the spoon.
For breakfast, it goes well on fresh white bread, a croissant, or a bread roll with a little butter underneath. In the afternoon, it turns a simple vanilla ice cream into a small dessert. To do this, briefly warm two spoonfuls in a water bath; the cream will become more fluid and can be drizzled over the scoops. Folded into crêpes or pancakes, with a few raspberries on the side, it makes a quick Sunday dessert.
When baking, you can use the cream as a filling for cinnamon rolls or as a layer between two sponge cakes. A thin stripe of pistachio cream also looks good on a cheesecake. The combination with cheese is bolder. Paired with ricotta, burrata, or a mild fresh goat cheese, it brings together sweetness, salt, and crunch. A dollop on yogurt with berries becomes a quick dessert. And in savory cooking, you can stir a teaspoon into a dressing made of lemon and olive oil. Over lamb's lettuce with pear and goat cheese, this provides both sweetness and salt. Store the jar protected from heat and light.
Our tip: Spread a slice of sourdough bread with ricotta, place a teaspoon of pistachio cream on top, and sprinkle a few fresh raspberries over it. This brings creamy, crunchy, sweet, and salty together in one bite.
Origin
Brandgut is based in Hamburg. Behind the brand are Meike Grosch and Daniel Thaung, who trade together as Brandgut GbR. Their creams made from roasted nuts are produced in Hamburg, all in 160g jars. The pistachio cream is one of six varieties. In addition to it, there is Mandelikat made from almonds, Haselgenuss from hazelnuts, and Cashjuhu from cashew kernels. They are joined by Yes, Pe Can from pecans and Erdnuss Muss from peanuts.
All varieties share a high nut content. On the labels, it is between 45 and 52%; for the pistachio variety, it is 45% pistachios. The list of ingredients is short and structured similarly everywhere: the respective nut, sugar, sea salt, and vanilla sugar, with most varieties containing some sunflower oil. The recipes differ primarily in the amount of sea salt and the nut content.
The names of the varieties show that there is a sense of humor at work in Hamburg. Pistachio becomes Peacetazie, "Mandel" (almond) and "Delikatesse" (delicacy) become Mandelikat, "Cashew" and a shout of joy become Cashjuhu. Behind the puns, however, is a clear line: roasted nuts, a pinch of sea salt, and a cream that crunches.
For whom
Brandgut Peacetazie is for everyone who loves pistachios and is looking for a sweet spread with an authentic nut flavor. It fits on weekend breakfast bread, for dessert with guests, and as a small gift for people who like to try new things. The jar is also a nice little gift during the Christmas season. The cream contains pistachios (tree nuts) and may contain traces of other tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame. The Cashjuhu made from roasted cashew kernels is milder and lighter. You can get the fairground classic as a cream with the Mandelikat made from roasted almonds. You can find all varieties on our Brandgut page. The cream is not suitable for those looking for an unsweetened, pure pistachio paste for baking.
Roasted pistachios, a pinch of sea salt, 160g from Hamburg – the crunchy pistachio cream for bread, ice cream, and crêpes.
