Peanut butter
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Peanut Butter in a jar |
Peanut butter is a
food product made of roasted or ground
peanuts, usually salted and sweetened. It is commonly sold in grocery stores, but can be made at home. It is sometimes referred to by its abbreviation, "P.B.". Many styles are available; the most popular are creamy (smooth) and crunchy (with small chunks of peanuts), but
honey-roasted, wholenut varieties, varieties mixed with
chocolate, and other variations can also be found. Creamy peanut butter is made by grinding all of the mixture very finely. The crunchier styles are either more coarsely ground or have larger pieces of peanut added back into the mixture after grinding.
Used in
sandwiches (particularly the classic
peanut butter and jelly sandwich),
candy (
Reese's, for example),
cookies and
pastry, it is a high source of protein, and is popular with children.
Elvis Presley made a famous version of the
peanut butter sandwich with
banana (either mashed or whole) that was
grilled or
fried.
Peanut butter is popular mainly in the
United States,
Australia, the
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Papua New Guinea,
New Zealand and
The Netherlands, but is overshadowed by
hazelnut butter in other parts of
Europe. In
Germany, for example, peanut butter is not popular at all and it is also very hard to find in local shops and supermarkets. It also has above-average popularity in the Philippines, parts of the Middle East, South Korea and other areas where Americans have maintained a strong presence in recent decades. It is manufactured in China, India and other emerging markets.
For people with a
peanut allergy, peanut butter can cause reactions up to and including fatal
anaphylactic shock.
The peanut plant is susceptible to the
mold Aspergillus flavus which produces
aflatoxin, and contamination in peanut butter is possible.
The first peanut butter was the ground paste that the indigenous Americans of
Mexico used as the base for a number of their "
moles" (pronounced "molays", from
Nahuatl molli, meaning sauce).
In
1890, George A. Bayle Jr., began to sell ground peanut paste as a
Vegetarian protein supplement for people with no or bad teeth. In
1893, Dr.
John Harvey Kellogg originated an early variety of peanut butter at the
Battle Creek Sanitarium in
Battle Creek,
Michigan. Kellogg, along with his brother,
W.K. Kellogg,
patented a process for making peanut butter in
1895, but it used
steamed peanuts rather than
roasted peanuts. Contrary to popular belief, the renowned
botanist,
George Washington Carver, had no hand in
inventing this food.
[Mackintosh, Barry. 1977. George Washington Carver and the Peanut: New Light on a Much-loved Myth. American Heritage 28(5): 66-73. [1]]Peanut butter was made in
Australia by
Edward Halsey for
Sanitarium Health Food Company on May 29,
1899 and was sold as early as June 16.
Peanut butter was widely introduced in
1904 by C.H. Sumner at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Saint Louis World's Fair) which also popularized the
ice cream cone,
hot dog and
hamburger.
Founded by Benton Black,
Krema Products Company in Columbus, Ohio began selling peanut butter in 1908 and is the oldest peanut butter company still in operation today.
In
1922,
Joseph L. Rosefield developed modern peanut butter by using finer grinding,
hydrogenation, and an
emulsifier to keep the oil from separating. This created a creamy texture unlike the earlier peanut butter described as gritty, or pasty. He received a patent for stable peanut butter which had a
shelf life of up to a year.
Swift & Company adopted the technology for their E.K Pond peanut butter which they had introduced somewhat earlier in
1920. In
1928 they changed the name to "
Peter Pan". Peter Pan was originally packaged in a
tin can with a turn key and re-closable lid but switched to
glass during
World War II. In
1932, Rosefield left that company. He formed the
Rosefield Packing Co. and began selling
"Skippy" peanut butter on
February 1,
1933.
Peanut butter became a very profitable business in the
United States. Currently, the best-selling American brand is
Jif, a product introduced by
Procter & Gamble in
1958. Jif is now made by the
J.M Smucker Company. The oldest surviving US brand is Krema peanut butter, first sold in
1908. Australian health food company
Sanitarium Health Food Company, has been making commercial peanut butter since 1898.
Sanitarium still makes peanut butter today.
There also exist other nut butters, including
almond,
cashew, and
hazelnut butters.
Nearly half of the U.S. peanut production went to peanut butter factories in
2001. This makes the U.S. the world's largest peanut butter supplier and consumer. Peanuts grown in other countries are usually harvested for
cooking oil called
peanut oil.
There are many types of peanuts. Small-seed peanuts are rich in oil and usually grown for peanut butter and oil. In the U.S.,
Runner Types and
Spanish Types are two families of peanuts grown in
Southern States including
Alabama,
Florida,
Georgia,
Oklahoma,
South Carolina and
Texas. The first three states produce 60% of the peanuts that are used in peanut butter.
After harvest, peanuts are sent to factories for inspection. The inspected peanuts are roasted in
ovens. After
roasting, they are rapidly cooled by air to stop cooking. This helps to retain its color and oil contents.
The cooked peanuts are then rubbed between
rubber belts to remove the outer skin. The
kernels are split with the hearts removed and then cleaned and sorted. Next, the peanuts are sent to the grinder.
The peanuts are ground twice: pulverized to small bits first, then ground with salt, sweetener and usually a
stabilizer to keep the oil from separating. So-called "old-fashioned" or "natural" peanut butter typically does not contain a stabilizer. The oils will separate after a time; these varieties are frequently stored in the refrigerator, which prevents the oil from separating back out.
Skippy recently introduced a "natural" peanut butter which does not require any stirring. It does, however, contain
palm oil as a stabilizer.
In the United States, peanut butter must contain a minimum of 90% peanuts, according to US food laws.
Artificial sweeteners,
artificial colors and
preservatives are not allowed. (This is why some peanut butter manufacturers' low-calorie or low-fat products instead call themselves
peanut spread.) Some brands may add
salt and
sugar (indicated by
dextrose,
sucrose or
fructose on the label) to suit the taste of the average consumer (or even
molasses, as Jif does), while other brands offer peanut butter without such additives for those who prefer the unadulterated peanut taste.
Trans fat issues
Certain brands of peanut butter may contain a small amount (well under 1%) of
hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are rich in
trans fatty acids. Such acids are thought to be a cause of
atherosclerosis leading to such maladies as
coronary heart disease and
stroke. However, natural peanut butter (as well as other natural foods) does not contain such oils.
*The
Dutch peanut butter is very different from its international counterpart. It is sharp instead of sweet and most people say it has a similar taste to that of
Satay sauce.
*The
Dutch peanut butter has the name "pindakaas", literally translated this means "peanut cheese". The Dutch called their peanut butter this way because the word "butter" was protected by law, so they had to look for another name.
*On
May 15,
1963, U.S.
astronaut Gordon Cooper ate some bite-sized peanut butter
sandwiches in the last and longest
Mercury mission. He carried 2,369
kcal (9,919
kJ) of food at launch and consumed only 696 kcal (2,914 kJ). He did not like the cubed food. His flight lasted 34 hours, 19 minutes and 49 seconds.
*In 2002, an intentionally irreverent pseudo-scientific paper was published [
2] establishing that "Peanut Butter has no effect on the rotation of the Earth".
(See also Ig Nobel Prize)*The
Fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and
marshmallow creme, preferably the Fluff brand.
*One of the favorite foods of
Elvis Presley was a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.
*
Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
*An outdoor
bird feeder is often made from a pine cone smeared with peanut butter and covered with birdseed.
*Creamy peanut butter is often used to remove chewing gum from clothing and hair.
*The
hydrogenated oil in most peanut butter brands is not usually made from peanut oil but from cheaper vegetables oils such as soybean, canola and cottonseed.
*In the U.S., March 1 is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day and March is National Peanut Month.
*In 2004, University of Georgia scientists developed a peanut butter dispenser to make peanut butter sandwiches. It looks like a hand-held, bulk tape dispenser and squirts out peanut butter in sheets.[
3]
*Some peanut butter brands have been sold in decorative glass containers that could be used as drinking glasses. Boscul Peanut Butter glasses from the 1950's are sought after by collectors.[http://www.tptt.net/his-peanut.html
* On
UK Show
Brainiac Peanut Butter was found to be a better Emergency
Shaving Cream than whipped cream and other competitors
As of September 2004, the most expensive peanut butter on the market is a $545 limited item which can be
mail-ordered from the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. This peanut butter (SRM 2387) is a set of three 6 oz (170 g) jars which will expire on
December 31,
2009.
This piece of reference material has been analyzed with state-of-the-art measurement methods to provide values for the amount of
fatty acids, 18 individual
amino acids (
protein),
vitamins,
minerals,
dietary fiber, other
nutrients and
mold-produced
carcinogenic
aflatoxins. Food manufacturers can use it to validate production and
quality control procedures as well as ensure accurate labeling of product content. It can also be used to evaluate
allergen test kits.
Almond butter, sometimes referred to by its abbreviation, "A.B.", is similar to peanut butter, except that
almond butter is made from almonds. Almonds are high in
monounsaturated fats, which are considered to be a healthier form of fat than
saturated fat.
*
Peanut*
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich*
Peanut butter cup*
Nutella*
A Website dedicated to Smearing Peanut Butter on Objects*
The federal "Peanut Butter Law" in the U.S.*
History of Peanut Butter at PeanutButterLovers.com
* [https://srmors.nist.gov/view_detail.cfm?srm=2387 The NIST peanut butter order form]
*
The USDA's Commercial Item Description for peanut butter and peanut spread*
Peanut Butter Expert Lens
