Peanuts are so good!

Peanut butter is high in calories, but full of nutrients. Peanuts are a source of protein, vitamin E, niacin, and magnesium. They’re also pretty much cholesterol-free and fairly low in saturated fat. Remember, though, that peanuts are high in calories, so if you eat whole jars of the stuff in one sitting, expect to put on weight.

Protein for the toothless

In 1890, Dr Ambrose Straub, from St Louis, US, asked a food products company to produce a protein substitute for toothless people who couldn’t chew meat. So manufacturer George A. Bayle Jr. processed ground peanuts to create the spread.

Peanuts aren’t actually nuts at all so what are they? Technically, they’re legumes, in the same family as fava beans and lentils.

So how was peanut butter invented?

Peanuts are native to the Americas. They were probably first harvested and eaten in Brazil and Peru, but by the time the Spanish explored and conquered parts of the tropics, they were grown as far north as Mexico. Researchers believe peanuts were mashed up first by the ancient Aztecs.

How many nuts go into a jar?

Most of the kids like to eat peanut butter but did you know the average-sized jar of peanut butter (340g), contains approximately 540 peanuts. This varies between smooth and crunchy spread (smooth a little more) but not by much.

Arachibutyrophobia

Are you afraid of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth? You’ve got arachibutyrophobia.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 18th, 2017