Mary Allen
The peanut belongs to the legumes like beans or peas. It was therefore not originally a nut, but over time it has developed into a nut. As with nuts, the peanut fruit is in a hard shell and looks similar to other nuts. In English, you say “peanut”. Translated into German, this means “peanut”.
First, a plant with small leaves grows. Beneath the leaves, the plant bears flowers from May to August. After fertilization, the flower burrows its stalk into the soil, where the fruit grows for a few weeks until it is a few centimeters tall. Unlike the pea, the fruit does not ripen in the air but in the ground. Then it is harvested from the ground.
Usually, when you open the peanut shell you will find two seeds, which are surrounded by a brown, paper-like shell. But this shell is hardly edible. So you only eat the kernels consisting of two halves. Before you can eat peanuts as a snack, you have to roast them first. So you heat them over a fire like chestnuts or raw coffee beans without burning them. Shelled peanuts from the supermarket are often provided with a little salt.
Oil is pressed from most peanuts. It doesn’t need any roasting. We need peanut oil in the kitchen or as animal feed. Peanuts are also processed into various foods such as peanut chips. Peanut butter, which can be spread on bread, is also popular. However, this spread contains much more fat than jam.
People with a peanut allergy cannot tolerate peanuts. After eating this fruit, they feel nauseous for a few hours. So you must first check if a food contains peanuts.
The peanut comes from Central and South America. From there it spread to other tropical areas during the Spanish colonies and only to Europe in the 18th century. In German-speaking Switzerland, however, peanuts are mainly known as “Spanish nuts”.
Today, peanuts are mainly grown in the southern United States, as well as in China, India, Nigeria, and Sudan. They thrive in sunny areas and in clay soil.