Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a food made of roasted and ground peanuts, usually salted and sweetened. It is commonly sold in grocery stores, but can be made at home. 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 (Reese's, for example), cookies and pastry.

It is popular mainly in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand 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.

For people with a nut allergy, peanut butter can cause reactions including anaphylactic shock which has lead its banning in some schools.

The peanut plant is susceptible to the mold Aspergillus flavus which produces aflatoxin, and contamination in peanut butter is possible.

The process of creating peanut butter was discovered (or 'invented') by George Washington Carver. This factual anecdote, however obscure, is actually quite well-known in the United States.

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.

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, as well as the two of the three leading main causes of death in North America: coronary heart disease and stroke. However, natural peanut butter (as well as other natural food) does not contain such oils or peanuts.

Trivia

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 [1] 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.
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 looks like a hand-held, bulk tape dispenser and squirts out peanut butter in sheets.[2]
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.[3]
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.

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. [4] 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.

References

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.
The Groove Salad A Website Devoted to Smearing with Peanut Butter