Sunday, January 17, 2010

Want A Peanut Butter Sandwich...?


While making my nightly peanut butter sandwich last night, it occurred to me that many out there may not know the history of one of the greatest snack foods ever created!

Therefore, I've appointed myself the official "Peanut Historian" of the day. After all, it's important that we be as knowledgeable as we can be about the foods we eat, right?

Besides, not many foods have such a colorful history! Anyway, it's always fun to find out about some of these interesting facts. So, here is a brief history...compliments of Time magazine.

Peanut butter's true inventor is unknown, but Dr. John Harvey Kellogg has as good a claim to the title as anyone. In 1895, the cereal pioneer patented a process for turning raw peanuts into a butter-like vegetarian health food that he fed to clients at his Battle Creek, Mich., sanatorium. The taste caught on, and in a few years, the spread had gone mainstream.

In 1922, chemist Joseph Rosefield fixed peanut butter's tendency to separate by adding hydrogenated vegetable oil; he called the thick, creamy result Skippy (probably after a popular comic strip), and a brand was born. Within the decade, Skippy was fighting it out with other established brands like Peter Pan and Heinz.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches invaded children's lunch boxes soon after: by one 2002 estimate, the average American child eats 1,500 PB&J sandwiches before graduating from high school.

In the 1990s, nut-allergy fears led some schools to eliminate peanuts from cafeteria menus. Still, peanut butter remains an $800 million industry--which is one of the reasons Jif and Peter Pan are spending millions on new ad campaigns to remind consumers how good food that sticks to the roof of your mouth can be.


Now, my friends, let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio for a bit. I'll make us a P.B. sandwich...maybe with some jelly!

19 comments:

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

I love peanuts but I can´t stand peanut butter. I don´t know why it´s like that. I remember the first time I tried it I hadwaited so long to do it and got so dissapointed :-) :-) Peanut butter isn´t that popular over here but we all know about if from american tv, film and comics.
Have a great day now!
Christer.

CoyotePrime said...

Good old peanut butter and jelly. You know, HermitJim, that's one of the few things that I've never gotten tired of in my whole life. I could eat that stuff every day. In fact, thinking about it... ;-)

HermitJim said...

Hey Christer...
Strange that you should like peanuts, but not peanut butter! I don't know anyone else that doesn't like it!

It may be that it is so common here, thats the only thing that I can think of!

Hey, I appreciate the comments and the visit today!


Hey Coyote...
I'm with you on that one...been eating it all my life and I still just love it! In fact, there's not a day goes by that I don't have some!

Lot's of good stuff in it, too! I keep some to go in my in car bag and my preps at home!

Old habits die hard, I reckon!

Thanks for the visit today!

Anonymous said...

My little one loves peanut butter. She really likes dipping apple slices in this stuff. Easy, healthy and inexpensive. I keep peanut butter stocked.

And I've tried the natural organic stuff. It is just not the same. I go back to Skippy, Peter Pan and Jiff.

Enjoy your coffee!

Home on the Range said...

I'm the opposite. I can't eat peanuts as as a young pilot I LIVED on the peanuts on the airplane, we were paid so little. But I LOVE peanut butter. To this day it's my lunch probably 3 days a week with an apple and a cookie, just like Mom packed for me (mumble mumble) years ago.

Momlady said...

I love pb&j sandwiches, but my very best favorite is a fluffer-nutter. (That's peanut butter and marshmallow fluff for those who don't know.) Peanut butter and bacon, peanut butter and banana are also scrumptious. Actually almost anything with peanut butter is good. I have a story about a fluffer-nutter sandwich and a pigeon, but that's for another time.

vlad said...

I love Smucker's peanut butter and orange marmalade or PB and raw honey on pumpernickel or black rye. yum

Witmer offers PB mixers for different size jars.
http://witmerproducts.com/pbutter.html

http://onlinestore.smucker.com/natural.cfm

vlad said...

I saw Food Storeage - a necessary adventure blog. People got stuck in snow and helped each other. There was no mention of tire chains.
I told them about v-bar tire chains.
Do you have v-bars? In East Texas if you get off that black stuff between the trees after a rain you are in mud.
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=79062&highlight=v-bar

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One, I know I'm late so I brought more peanut butter just in case its all gone. The first thing that goes into the food stores for traveling is peanut butter. It is a must have just in case you get stranded it can be a life saver.

Anonymous said...

I thought every body carried a peanut butter sandwich in their hip pocket...just in case.
Love the stuff.

See Ya

HermitJim said...

Hey Kris...
P.B.and fresh apples...now that's a pretty healthy snack. It's good that she likes it, and probably doesn't even know that it'sgood for her!

Hey, thanks for the visit today!


Hey Bridget...
Like I said, old habits die hard! Funny how some of the old time things are still just as good s we remember them, isn't it?

I don't eat just peanuts as much as I used to...don't really know why!

I appreciate you coming by today!


Hey Momlady...
I don't think I've ever tried that one! I'll certainly put it on my list of things to get! Like you said, nearly everything is better on peanut butter!

Guess it's good there is at leat one food that we like that won't make us fat(er), at least not so much!

Now I'm getting hungry!

I thank you, momlady, for coming by today!


Hey Vlad...
That's another thing I do enjoy...P.B. with honey! In fact, I buy the Peter Pan with a touch of honey made in it. Really does make it taste good!

Thanks for the link, my friend! I'll have to go check it out...

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
I just knew that you would have some p.b. in the pantry! Knew I could count on you!

Now I know that I can take a trip with you and not have to worry about running out of the good stuff in the pantry!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!


Hey Tony...
Certainly one of those items you should never leave home without!

You and I grew up in a time when p.b. was just a natural thing to have around the house. Can't imagine it being any other way today!

I sure do appreciate the visit today, buddy!

Kyddryn said...

Mmm...a hot, toasted English muffin with butter and peanut butter melting into it...whew, that's good eats, Mister Hermit, sir.

I also like Thai Peanut sauce on cucumber salad - the peanut sauce is like a thin, chunky peanut butter with chili sauce in it.

It's rainy and chilly here...a good afternoon for some tea and a little peanut butter on toast...

Shade and Sweetwater,
K

HermitJim said...

Hey K...
I haven't tried the Thai sauce on cucumber salad...but I have had the sauce on chicken!

That idea about the p.b. on toast sounds like a good plan to me!

Hey, many tanks for coming by today!

Anonymous said...

One more thing to make you love P.Butter... Peanut Butter (Not true nut butters) with whole grain bread or crackers, fruit spread and milk is 100% nutrition. A mite weak in a few things, but some of Everything the body needs. You can live forever on nothing but PB&J with cold frothy milk.
And what's wrong with that?

Anonymous said...

who invented peanut butter?
how about george washington carver?

HermitJim said...

Hey Anon 5:32...
you just have to love a food that not only is good, but good or you! What could be better!

Hey, thanks for coming by today!


Hey Anon 6:19...
Although George Washington Carver was a great man, he wasn't credited with the invention of p.b.

In 1903, Dr. George Washington Carver began his peanut research at Tuskeegee Institute in Alabama. While peanut butter had already been developed by then, Dr. Carver developed more than 300 other uses for peanuts and so improved peanut horticulture that he is considered by many to be the father of the peanut industry.

Pretty smart guy, for sure!

Hey, thanks for the visit today!

tweell said...

Peanut butter and honey on homemade sourdough whole wheat bread - the food of the gods!
I do pb&j as well, but it's second-best.

HermitJim said...

Hey Tweell...
Sounds like a good choice to me! I eat a LOT of honey with my p.b....in fact, the brand I buy has it mixed in already! How good is that?

Thanks for coming by today!

Anonymous said...

I love peanut butter. Can't get decent stuff here in Brazil. The old school joke: the difference between peanut butter and an elephant... elephants don't stick to the roof of your mouth.

But, I have never understood the American psyche for PB&J, I tried it once after reading about it in a comic. Bloody awful! I guess you have to be American.

AV