They not only have crunch, but historical echoes in their background, and some quirky details, too. The peanut profile includes:
The peanut is not a nut. It’s a legume related to beans and lentils.
The peanut plant originated in South America.
As early as 1500 B.C., the Incas of Peru used peanuts as sacrificial offerings and entombed peanuts with mummies to sustain the deceased in their spiritual life after death.
There are four types of peanuts grown in the United States: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
The peanut growth cycle from planting to harvest is about five months.
Peanuts are planted after the last frost in April or early May.
The peanut plant produces a small yellow flower.
Peanuts flower above ground and then migrate underground to reach maturity.
A mature peanut plant produces about 40 pods that develop into peanuts.
Americans eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts and 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year.
Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
— National Peanut Board
