This Mexican Candy Is Keeping El Paso Memories Sweet

There are certain foods that don't just taste good; they take you somewhere.

For me, one look at a piece of jamoncillo takes me straight back to weekends at my grandparents' house.

If you've never heard the name, there's still a pretty good chance you've seen the candy before. And even if you didn't grow up in a Mexican household, living in El Paso means you've probably crossed paths with these little incredibly sweet treats at some point.

Jamoncillo is one of those candies I hadn't really thought about in years. Then I started seeing it again around El Paso, and suddenly, there were all those memories.

Jamoncillo Is a Mexican Candy El Pasoans Will Recognize

Jamoncillo is a traditional Mexican milk-based candy typically made with milk and sugar, with different varieties incorporating ingredients like nuts, coconut or fruit flavors.

And let me emphasize the sweet part.

I can eat exactly ONE piece of jamoncillo. That's it. One!

It's so rich and sweet that I've never understood how my grandparents could keep going back for more. But one piece is really all I need, because the second I taste it, I'm reminded of them and those weekends spent at their house.

That's the funny thing about nostalgic foods. Sometimes you're not craving the food as much as you're craving the memory attached to it.

And I'm sure I'm not the only El Pasoan who has that kind of connection to jamoncillo.

You Can Find Jamoncillo All Around El Paso

What surprised me recently was realizing just how easy jamoncillo has become to find.

This isn't something you necessarily have to hunt down at a tiny specialty shop anymore. I've spotted jamoncillo at major stores around El Paso, including Walmart and Albertsons. You'll also find it at some of the local candy stores that specialize in all the goodies you need for birthday parties, piñatas and celebrations.

For anyone who grew up seeing Mexican candy everywhere, that might not seem particularly remarkable. But there's something pretty cool about a traditional sweet like jamoncillo sitting on the shelf of a major grocery store alongside all the familiar candy brands.

And El Paso has an even closer connection to it than I realized.

Traditional Jamoncillo Is Being Made Right Here in El Paso

El Paso's own Nuestra Nostalgia specializes in traditional jamoncillos and dulce de leche made locally.

Honestly, could there be a more fitting name?

The business makes its sweets here in El Paso, carrying on a family tradition that began across the border in Juárez. That means the candy that reminds so many of us of parents, grandparents, childhood parties and weekends with family isn't simply something we can still find here- it's something that's still being made right here in our community.

Maybe jamoncillo doesn't bring back the same memories for you that it does for me. Maybe you remember a completely different Mexican candy sitting at your grandparents' house.

But that's what makes these little treats special.

For me, one piece of jamoncillo is plenty; it's definitely sweet enough.

But it's also enough to remind me of my grandparents, how much they loved this candy and those weekends at their house.

Sometimes one piece is all it takes.