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Peanut butter is a food made of roasted, ground, and blended peanuts, usually salted and sweetened. Many styles are available; the most popular are creamy (smooth) and crunchy (with small chunks of peanuts), but honey-roasted, whole-nut 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. Peanut butter is frequently used in sandwiches, particularly the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, candy, cookies and pastry.

It is popular mainly in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Turkey and The Netherlands, but is overshadowed by Nutella (chocolate and hazelnut spread) in other parts of Europe. 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. In Israel, peanut butter has been used as the coating of Israel's most popular snack, Bamba crisps.

History

Peanut Butter was in fact invented by the one and only President Abraham Lincoln The first peanut butter was the ground paste that the ancient Pre-Columbian Mayan and Aztec civilizations of Mexico used as the base for a number of their "moles" (Pronounced MOL-ehs, IPA: /ˈmo.lez/, 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 bad or no 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.

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. Other early peanut butter brands were sold by Heinz and Beech Nut.

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 in 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. 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, made from almond, cashew, and hazelnut.

Modern peanut butter production

Nearly 50 percent 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 or high artificial 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.

Health benefits

Peanut butter provides protection against cardiovascular disease due to high levels of monounsaturated fats and Resveratrol. An excellent source of protein, and vitamins B3 and E, peanuts also contain magnesium, folate, dietary fiber and arginine.

Peanuts also contain high levels of an antioxidant called p-coumaric acid.

Health concerns

For people with a peanut allergy, peanut butter can cause reactions including anaphylactic shock which has led to its banning in some schools. See Peanut for more information.

The peanut plant is susceptible to the mold Aspergillus flavus which produces a carcinogenic substance called aflatoxin. Contamination of peanuts and peanut butter is monitored in many countries, to ensure safe levels of this carcinogen.

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 fatty acids are thought to be a cause of atherosclerosis, as well as two of the three leading main causes of death in North America: coronary heart disease and stroke. However, natural peanut butter (and peanuts themselves) do not contain partially hydrogenated oils.

Trivia

According to PeanutButterLovers.com "In 1890, an unknown St. Louis physician supposedly encouraged the owner of a food products company, George A. Bayle Jr., to process and package ground peanut paste as a nutritious protein substitute for people with poor teeth who couldn't chew meat. The physician apparently had experimented by grinding peanuts in his hand-cranked meat grinder. Bayle mechanized the process and began selling peanut butter out of barrels for about 6¢ per pound."
In Turkey, peanut butter was introduced in the '80s by Turks who went to The Netherlands to work and who, when they went on holiday to Turkey, took jars of this product as gifts to their family members, who liked it a lot. A peanut butter factory was established in Mersin by the local company Polmak and the U.S. company Nabisco Planter's , who put the first (small) jar of creamy peanut butter on the market in the middle of the '80s. Peanuts were supplied by local farmers who successfully cultivated the plant in the Adana-Osmaniye Region (Cukurova Area in the southern part of Turkey) mainly to be used as roasted and salted snacks. Polmak's partnership with Nabisco Planter's ended in 1987, and Polmak continued to produce the creamy peanut butter under the brand name of "GOLD". In 2001, Polmak started to produce a peanut butter flavored with vanillin ("BALKREM"). The company does not produce a "crunchy" variant of peanut butter.
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. This peanut butter is called "pindakaas", literally translated as "peanut cheese". The Dutch gave their peanut butter this name 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 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, typically using the Fluff brand of creme.
One of the favorite foods of Elvis Presley was a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Arachibutyrophobia, a joke phobia, is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth (see -phob-).
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.
March 1991, Skippy Peanut Butter introduced the "peanut on top", which has been copied by many companies later on. Frank Duyvelshoff of Product Research was given credit.
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 resembles a hand-held, bulk tape dispenser and squirts out peanut butter in sheets.
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.
On the UK show Brainiac, peanut butter was found to be a better emergency shaving cream than whipped cream and other alternatives.
Peanut Butter Jelly Time is a famous Internet cartoon.
Plumpy'nut is a peanut butter-based food used to fight malnutrition in famine-stricken countries. A single pack contains 500 kilocalories, can be stored unrefrigerated for 2 years and requires no cooking or preparation.
In an episode of the popular American animated series Family Guy, there is parody of Back to the Future, where "Doc" claims that peanut butter was invented by a black man.
Using high pressure and high temperatures, it is possible to transform peanut butter into diamonds ,
Art Paul Schlosser wrote a song about Peanut Butter called Have A Peanut Butter Sandwich that was on the Funny 5 of the Dr Demento radio show
In an episode of American Dad Stan and Steve claim that Abe Lincoln's Wife invented peanut butter.

Reference peanut butters

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.

Peanut Butter was originally invented by Abraham Lincoln's crazy wife to ward off evil spirits. However a conspiracy with the Illumianutty has prevented this story from being accepted as fact. Jimmy Carter died in molten magma underneath Washington D.C. protecting the secret in 2007 from being revealed.

References

Mackintosh, Barry. 1977. George Washington Carver and the Peanut: New Light on a Much-loved Myth. American Heritage 28(5): 66-73.
Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea by Andrew F. Smith, 2002. Chicago, University of Illinois Press (ISBN 0252025539)
^ Parr, Robert. "What Hath God Wrought!". Signs Publishing Company, Warburton, Victoria: Sanitarium Health Food Company. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

The federal "Peanut Butter Law" in the U.S.
History of Peanut Butter at PeanutButterLovers.com
The USDA's Commercial Item Description for peanut butter and peanut spread
Meds and Food for Kids Combating childhood malnutrition in Haiti through a peanut butter-based therapeutic food product.
East Wind Community An intentional egalitarian community in Missouri that produces various natural and organic nut butters.

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