What Palanqueta means
Palanqueta is a Mexican sweet name of Spanish origin meaning "little crowbar". It is built from Spanish palanca (lever, crowbar) and -eta (diminutive). It is pronounced pah-lahn-KEH-tah, and it is most associated with the whole country.
The flat rectangular peanut brittle bar is shaped like a small pry bar. Nahuatl derivations circulate in food writing, from papaquilli ('joy') to palanqui ('withered'), but neither is supported and the Spanish reading is the straightforward one.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: From colonial convent sweets like ate and jamoncillo to the chili-and-tamarind candies of the modern corner shop. Alegría means "joy", borrachito means "little drunk one", and muégano's name is a mystery even to Mexicans.
