The History Of Peanut Butter October 28th, 2014 Cooking How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have you eaten over your lifetime? Americans in particular have a strong love affair with the creamy food, and they have been eating it for more than 100 years. From the first evidence of the peanut in ancient South American cultures to the amount of peanut butter Americans currently consume annually, the snack has been around for centuries. The birth of peanuts Before delving into the history, its important to note that peanuts arent actually nuts, but legumes. The distinction depends on how many seeds each fruit holds and the way the outer shell is attached, according to The Peanut Institute. Peanuts were first documented in South America, near present-day Peru and Brazil, based on artifacts shaped like the crop, the National Peanut Board explained. After Spain colonized South American territories and became familiar with peanuts, they brought the crop back to Europe. Once it crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the peanut plant spread to Asia and Africa. In the 1700s, as North America was settled and slavery became the norm, African Americans introduced peanuts to the new colonies. According to the source, peanut crops werent used commercially until the early 1800s when Virginians grew the legumes to feed animals and poor people. An interest in peanuts spread after the Civil War, because soldiers grew fond of them before returning home. In the 1900s, farming practices went through a small industrial revolution when agricultural machines became available. The peanut crop has even had its moment of political fame, considering two former U.S. presidents were peanut farmers - Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter. The spread of peanut butter Its been said that the ancient civilizations who began cultivating peanuts made a crude form of peanut butter, but the food you probably love on toast wasnt really developed in the U.S. until the end of the 19th century. The history of peanut butter as we know it was first made public in 1895, when Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the cereal mogul, created a version. Peanut butter was presented at the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904, after local doctors found a valuable use for it. They suspected it was high in protein, so they would give peanut butter to patients who werent able to chew food well. Between 1899 and 1907, the amount of peanut butter being produced jumped from 2 million to 34 million pounds, The New Yorker reported. George Washington Carver, an inventor whos often credited with inventing peanut butter, gave the food a boost with a speech to the Peanut Growers Association in 1920. Bio explained that he encouraged farmers to plant more peanuts, among other crops, and explained the many purposes for each plant. This was fueled in part by the difficulty farmers began having with cotton crops. Two years later, a chemist named Joseph Rosefield created smooth peanut butter with hydrogenated oil. This new ingredient meant the oil and ground peanuts wouldnt separate as easily. He sold the idea to Peter Pan peanut butter in 1928, but then took it back to make his own brand called Skippy in 1932. According to The New Yorker, Rosefield also invented crunchy peanut butter by adding little chunks of peanuts to the smooth butter. These days, Americans consume more than 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year. According to The Huffington Post, more than half of Americas peanut crops are turned into peanut butter - almost 600 peanuts go into each 12-ounce jar. Its often used in candy, due to the irresistible combination of chocolate and peanut butter, plus baked goods and sandwiches, of course. Read More: Exciting Ideas For Stuffed Mushrooms Two Great Festivals For Bacon Enthusiasts To Enjoy
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:15:46 +0000
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