Overview

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a legume crop grown for its edible seeds, classified as both a grain legume and an oil crop due to its high oil content. It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The seeds have a rich, nutty flavor and a soft, oily texture when raw, which intensifies and becomes crunchy when roasted.

Origin and history

The peanut is native to South America, where it was domesticated in the Andean region or the Gran Chaco area at least 3,500 years ago [2]. It spread through pre-Columbian trade routes across the continent. After 1492, Spanish and Portuguese traders carried the peanut from the Americas to Africa, Asia, and the Philippines via the Manila Galleon trade, where it was rapidly adopted into local cuisines [3]. The plant’s ability to fix nitrogen and grow in poor soils made it valuable for small-scale farmers and large commercial producers alike.

Varieties and aliases

  • Runner peanuts (most common U.S. commercial variety)
  • Virginia peanuts (large kernels, used for gourmet snacking)
  • Spanish peanuts (small kernels, high oil content)
  • Valencia peanuts (three or more small kernels per shell, sweet flavor)
  • Groundnut (common name in West Africa and parts of Asia)
  • Goober (colloquial U.S. Southern term, from Kongo nguba)
  • Maní (Spanish, from Taíno mani)

Culinary uses

Peanuts are eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried. They are ground into peanut butter, pressed for oil, or crushed into meal for thickening stews and sauces. In Southeast Asia, peanuts appear in satay sauce, in Cambodian saraman curry, and in Vietnamese bún thịt nướng as a garnish. In West Africa, groundnut stew (mafé) is a staple. In the Philippines, kare-kare is a thick oxtail stew thickened with ground peanuts [1]. In Peru, peanuts are used in carapulcra (a dried-potato stew) and in inchicapi (a thick Amazonian chicken soup). In Guatemala, toasted peanuts appear in recado de maní and in dulces like maní garapiñado. In Korea, crushed peanuts are stuffed into hotteok, a sweet filled pancake. In Egypt, peanut-based candies are sold for Mawlid an-Nabi.

Cross-cuisine context

The peanut has no direct analogue in Mexican cuisine, where tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts) are more traditional in moles and pipiáns. However, the peanut’s role as a thickener in savory stews parallels the use of ground pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in Mexican pipián verde and the use of ground almonds in mole poblano. In the Philippines, the peanut-based sauce of kare-kare occupies a similar structural role to the nut-thickened moles of Mexico, a connection reinforced by the Manila Galleon trade that introduced the peanut to the archipelago [1][3].

In West African and African diaspora cuisines, ground peanuts function similarly to sesame paste (tahini) in Levantine cooking and to ground almonds in European marzipan. In Okinawa, peanut milk is used to make jimami tofu, a non-soy tofu that parallels the texture of Chinese almond tofu or Filipino tokwa.

Notes for cooks

  • Raw peanuts have a soft, beany flavor; roasting at 350°F for 10-15 minutes deepens the nuttiness and adds crunch.
  • Peanut oil has a high smoke point (around 450°F) and is neutral in flavor, making it suitable for deep frying.
  • Store shelled peanuts in an airtight container in a cool, dark place; they can go rancid quickly due to their high oil content. Refrigeration extends shelf life.