Peanuts

For most of us in the United States, the peanut that is roasted, salted, and tucked into candy bars, is a commonplace snack, hardly a historic item worthy of a special place in a story of New World plants. In reality it is an uncommon plant with a dramatic story. It is a basic food in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, and peanuts are now considered one of the five most important New World plants to reach Old World kitchens. The peanut has enhanced both the health and economic well-being of people around the world. In some parts of the world peanuts save lives.

The peanut, Arachis hypogaea, also known as groundnut, is not a nut at all. It is a member of the legume family, a relative of beans and peas. The shell is the equivalent of a pea or bean pod, and the peanuts themselves are the seeds of a small leguminous bush. The manner in which this bush propagates itself however is unique and extraordinary; after pollination the bush pushes its thin, woody fruit capsules into the ground. Each buried capsule holds three to five seeds that grow into peanuts.

The peanut was first domesticated in pre-Inca times in Peru and was a native plant in Panama, Brazil, Paraguay and other tropical and subtropical areas of South America. For the native peoples it was a common commodity, widely cultivated in fields and gardens. When Spanish and Portuguese conquistadores arrived in South America, they found the peanut an interesting novelty. The Spaniards sent peanuts to their colonies in the Philippines, the Portuguese brought the peanut to Africa and India.

The peanut is rich in protein (typically 30%) and equally rich in oil. In Asia it proved to be more than a nutritional resource, it was a financial bonanza. The plant could thrive in semi-arid or marginal soil and in times of drought it dropped its leaves so that moisture was able to reach its roots. After a rainfall the leaves reappeared spontaneously. The plant fixes nitrogen in the soil which increases fertility so that the Chinese, for example, were able to increase their farming acreage and carry out a program of crop rotation that greatly increased their productivity.

Many countries soon claimed the peanut as their own and it became known as the African nut, Malaysian nut, Chinese nut, kipper nut, earth chestnut, goober pea, etc. It traveled to new regions and became adapted to widely diverse cultures with distinctive cuisines. The Chinese named it kachang china, the Chinese Bean.

In African and Caribbean countries where people depend on plants like cassava as the mainstay of their diets, people often face malnutrition because cassava possesses abundant carbohydrates but is poor in protein. Peanuts balance the diet and add thiamin, niacin, and folacin. They are also rich in dietary fiber, and the little peanut is a fine source of energy.

During World War II when meat and dairy products were limited and rationed in the United State, the protein-rich peanut took on great importance both as a solid food and as a source of needed oil. Peanut oil is important in the manufacture of margarine as well as cooking oil and salad oil.

Almost every part of the peanut is used in some way; the kernels are eaten, and the vines are used for cattle fodder. The peanut roots add valuable nutrition to the soil and enhance agriculture. The most significant use in the United States is for the manufacture of peanut butter - the peanut butter sandwich is now the most popular lunch for school children in the US. It seems amazing to us now that at the turn of the 20^th century George Washington Carver, an agricultural chemist and educator who enthusiastically promoted peanuts as a popular crop, found 300 different uses for the nut but did not come up with peanut butter!

With all its virtues, the peanut is not for everyone. The nourishing protein that can be a lifesaver for most people can be deadly for those who are allergic to the nut. Genetic engineers are presently working on a gene that will retain the peanut flavor but eliminate the allergenic factor.

Americans consume more than 4 million pounds of peanuts every day. Of this 52%, over 1,000 tons, is consumed as peanut butter. Commercial peanut butter loses some of its nutritive virtues when it is adulterated with artificial sweeteners, color additives and hydrogenated fats, but it is easy to make peanut butter at home in a blender or food processor and keep it natural and nourishing.

Buy 1/2 pound peanuts, roasted and skinned, and grind the nuts to your taste, smooth or chunky. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to make the peanuts blend more readily, and store the mixture at room temperature. If the oil rises to the top, just stir it back in – this is healthier than using the chemical emulsifiers that commercial peanut butter contains.

In the United States peanut crops are grown on large plantations, but still production does not match that of India, the major peanut producer. China comes second. Many small-scale Asian farmers grow peanuts on small plots or in gardens for home consumption. Peanuts make excellent purées, they add a crunchy texture to salads, and peanut butter dips accompanying satays (a southeast Asian dish of meats and vegetables grilled on a skewer) are considered gourmet cuisine.

Jane Brody, a well-known nutritionist, offers a fairly simple recipe for a popular peanut dip.

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 large cloves)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley