25 Fun Facts about Peanuts & Peanut Butter (2024)

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25 Fun Facts about Peanuts & Peanut Butter

25 Fun Facts about Peanuts & Peanut Butter (1)Aug 15, 2023
  1. It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
  2. By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
  3. It takes 3.2 gallons of water to produce 1 ounce of peanuts. (Bonus fact: 1 ounce of almonds takes 28.7 gallons)
  4. The average peanut farm is 200 acres.
  5. The average person will eat almost 3,000 PB&Js in their lifetime, according to a 2016 survey by Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter.
  6. The average adult eats a PB&J three times a month.
  7. The Huffington Post (Sept. 2014) asked, “What makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Results show: 36% say strawberry jam is favorite (grape is 31%); favorite bread is white bread (54%); favorite type of peanut butter is smooth (56%) and a whopping 80% like their PB & J with the crust left on the sandwich. Discover why the PB&J is the best sandwich ever.
  8. Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Virginia's Thomas Jefferson and Georgia's Jimmy Carter.
  9. Astronaut Alan Shepard brought a peanut with him to the moon. Read about making a PB&J on the International Space Station.
  10. Former President Bill Clinton says one of his favorite sandwiches is peanut butter and banana; also reported to have been the favorite of Elvis “the King” Presley.
  11. There are six cities in the U.S. named Peanut: Peanut, California; Lower Peanut, Pennsylvania; Upper Peanut, Pennsylvania; Peanut, Pennsylvania, Peanut, Tennessee; and Peanut West Virginia.
  12. According to Little Brownie Bakers, cookie bakers use about 230,000 pounds of peanut butter per week to bake Girl Scout's Do-si-dos and Tagalongs. Click here for a chai-spiced peanut butter cookie recipe.
  13. Women and children prefer creamy peanut butter, while most men opt for chunky. Here's a creamy peanut butter smoothie recipe.
  14. People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.
  15. Boiled peanuts are considered a delicacy in the peanut growing areas of the South. Freshly harvested peanuts are boiled in a brine until they are of a soft bean-like texture.
  16. Goober—a nickname for peanuts—comes from “nguba”, the Congo language name for peanut.
  17. Peanuts are sometimes called “ground nuts” or “ground peas” because peanuts grow underground.
  18. The nub between two peanut halves is an embryo. Learn more about how peanuts grow.
  19. George Washington Carver was known as the “plant doctor” and the “grandfather of peanuts”. He discovered many ways to use peanuts and innovative farming methods, including crop diversification and soil conservation.
  20. The average European eats less than 1 tbsp of peanut butter a year.
  21. The furthest thrown a peanut has ever been thrown was 124.4 feet.
  22. There are four different types of peanuts – Runner, Valencia, Spanish and Virgnia.
  23. There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (Source: USDA NASS data)
  24. Every year Americans eat enough peanut butter to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon.
  25. In a high-pressure environment, peanut butter can be turned into diamonds.
25 Fun Facts about Peanuts & Peanut Butter (2024)

FAQs

25 Fun Facts about Peanuts & Peanut Butter? ›

Peanuts provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They may have other health benefits, including promoting fullness and helping protect against heart disease. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are a legume that originated in South America. They go by a variety of names, such as groundnuts, earthnuts, and goobers.

What is special about peanuts? ›

Peanuts provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They may have other health benefits, including promoting fullness and helping protect against heart disease. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are a legume that originated in South America. They go by a variety of names, such as groundnuts, earthnuts, and goobers.

Who was the first person to eat peanut butter? ›

The earliest reference to peanut butter can be traced back to the Ancient Incas and the Aztecs who ground roasted peanuts into a paste. However, modern peanut butter, its process of production and the equipment used to make it, can be credited to at least three inventors.

What percent of peanuts is found in peanut butter? ›

In the United States, there's a standard of identity for peanut butter. According to FDA regulations, for peanut butter to be labeled as peanut butter, it has to contain at least 90% peanuts. The only other allowable ingredients are salt, sweeteners and hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Why is it called peanut? ›

You should be focusing on the “pea” and not the “nu*t”. Peas, like peanuts, are legumes that are encased in pods, similar in size and shape. So, peanuts are called peanuts because they are peas that look, feel, taste and are eaten like nuts.

What are 5 facts about peanuts? ›

Did you know these interesting facts about peanuts?
  • *Peanuts are not nuts.
  • *Peanuts are good for you.
  • *There are six US cities named after peanut.
  • *There are over 500 peanuts in every jar of peanut butter.
  • *Peanut butter can be turned into diamonds!
Sep 14, 2021

What is an interesting fact about peanut butter? ›

So grab a spoon and a jar of the good stuff and dig into these fun facts.
  • "Peanut butter" has a legal definition. ...
  • It was popularized during the World Wars. ...
  • It has fat -- but it's good fat. ...
  • Half of U.S. consumption of peanuts is peanut butter. ...
  • There's an official world record for most PB&Js eaten in one minute.
Jan 24, 2019

Why is it called peanut butter? ›

It's made out of peanuts. Some peanut butters have additional ingredients: salt, or some added oils or emulsifiers, but real peanut butter has one ingredient: peanuts. It's called a butter because it is thick and spreadable at room temperature.

What country eats the most peanut butter? ›

Because of these qualities, peanut butter is enjoyed around the globe. In this article, we will take a closer look at how peanut butter is consumed by countries around the world and some of the statistics that surround it. By far, China is the country that consumes the most peanut butter.

Why is growing peanuts illegal? ›

Growing peanuts isn't illegal, but commercial growing and sale of them is heavily regulated. You need a license, but each state can have different regulations that must be followed by law. Although peanuts can be grown across the U.S., six of them produce the majority of these nuts we see on store shelves: Alabama.

What is the nickname for peanuts? ›

"The earthnut, groundnut, goober, pindar or peanut" is how the Department of Agriculture phrased it.

Which state sells the most peanuts? ›

According to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was estimated at 5.57 billion pounds. Accounting for more than 50 percent of all U.S. peanut production, Georgia produced the most peanuts of any State, with a 2022 peanut crop estimated at 2.9 billion pounds.

What was the nickname of the peanut? ›

Slaves planted peanuts throughout the southern United States (the word goober comes from the Congo name for peanuts – nguba). In the 1700's, peanuts, then called groundnuts or ground peas, were studied by botanists and regarded as an excellent food for pigs.

What do Americans call peanuts? ›

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as grain legume and as an oil crop.

Is A peanut A Bean or a nut? ›

Even though "nut" is in its name, a peanut is actually a legume. Like soybeans, lentils, and other legumes, peanuts are edible seeds that grow in pods. Still, most people think of them as nuts, along with tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.

What is the uniqueness of peanuts? ›

3.1.

Peanut is one of the most popular foods consumed worldwide. The peanut plant is unusual because its flowers are produced above-ground, while its pods are developed underground level. Because of this, peanuts are often called groundnuts. Other names include arachides, goobers, mani, and pinders.

Why is peanuts so iconic? ›

Peanuts is a literate strip with philosophical, psychological, and sociological overtones, which was innovative in the 1950s. Its humor is psychologically complex and driven by the characters' interactions and relationships.

Why is growing peanuts illegal in the USA? ›

The limit was meant to stabilize their prices, which would help farmers have a livable income in the market. In 1949, the U.S. Congress made it illegal to grow peanuts without a federal license. According to The Washington Times, the government created the license to limit federal spending.

What does eating peanuts do for you? ›

Peanuts Are Heart-Healthy

According to a 2023 review in Foods, peanuts have a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber that provides a slew of heart-healthy benefits, one of which is helping lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Peanuts also contain niacin (vitamin B3), which is important for healthy heart function.

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