Peanuts
Peanuts are an annual plant that originated in South America.
It was introduced to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. European traders then introduced it to Asia and Africa.
Peanuts plant belong to the leguminosae family and comprises a stem and branches between 20 and 70cm long.
It flowers above ground but the fruits germinate a few centimetres beneath the soil. They develop into a fibrous shell in which several seeds develop: peanuts.
One plant can produce over 100 shells. Peanuts are grown in equatorial and warm climates: Georgia and Texas in the USA for example.
The roasting
China, the USA, India and Argentina are the biggest of the 80 peanut-producing countries in the world. China and Argentina are the largest exporters. In China, where the peanut has been revered for centuries, its Chinese name is "lo hua sheng" translated roughly as "the falling flower that conceives".
In the northern hemisphere, peanuts are harvested in September in the USA and in October/November in China. Shelled peanuts from the USA are available in Europe at the end of September/October. Those originating from China are available in November/December due to a later harvest and a longer shipping time (30 days as opposed to 15 for the USA). The peanut harvest in Argentina is in April/May and their products are available from May.
Peanuts are classfied into two major categories :
- Those used to produce oil which are mainly grown in Africa.
- Those grown for eating, shelled or unshelled :
Unshelled peanuts are roasted and then sold directly,
Shelled peanuts, with or without the skin (blanched), are cooked in oil and salted or oven-roasted and flavoured.
The size of shelled and unshelled peanuts is expressed as the number of seeds per US ounce. The same measure is used for almonds from the USA and pistachio nuts from Iran. One US ounce is equivalent to 28.35 grams.