Salted Peanut in the Shell
Estimated Inventory, 25 lbs : 0
This item was last sold on : 08/16/23
Description/Taste
In-shell Peanuts are consistently sized oblong pods, approximately 2 to 3 centimeters in size. The light brown pods have a spongy and netted texture and are ovate in shape with a slightly pinched center and two bulbous, rounded ends. The dried, inedible pods split open to reveal 2 to 3 seeds that vary in shape from oblong to nearly round. These seeds are covered in a thin, papery red-brown skin that easily sluffs off, revealing a smooth, beige nut. In-shell peanuts are crunchy, dense, and chewy, often salted to enhance their robust nutty and sweet flavor.
Seasons/Availability
In-shell Peanuts are available year-round, with fresh peanuts harvested in the fall.
Current Facts
In-shell Peanuts are the seed pods of an annual shrubby plant that grows in a sprawling vine pattern in the pea family, botanically classified as Arachis hypogaea. Peanuts, also known as Groundnuts, Earthnuts, and Goobers, are not true nuts but are, instead, legumes that are closely related to lentils, shelling beans, and soy. The pods of the peanut plant ripen underground and act sort of like roots by absorbing nutrients directly from the soil. This growth phenomenon, known as geocarpy, is highly beneficial for farming as it requires far less water, and the pods return nitrogen to the soil. The four main varieties of peanuts are virginia, runner, spanish, and valencia. The first three varieties are usually fully processed and used in canned nut mixes, baking, peanut butter production, and candy production. In contrast, the largest variety, the valencia, is usually left in the shell. Valencia peanut pods contain 2 to 3 peanuts covered in a red, papery skin. The peanuts are removed from the shell before eating, although the paper skin is usually left on the nut when consumed out of hand. Salt is added to the nuts in a vacuum to bring the salt brine inside the shell to flavor the nuts. The peanut plant is incredibly versatile and is used to make over 300 other products, including flour, soaps, and plastics. Many of these derivative products were developed based on research conducted by George Washington Carver in the early 20th century.
Nutritional Value
Peanuts are exceptionally high in protein, specifically arachin and conarachin, two proteins that can cause severe and life-threatening allergic reactions in some people. Peanuts are one of the richest dietary sources of biotin, an enzyme that helps break down fats and carbohydrates and convert food into energy in the body. Peanuts are also a good source of copper, niacin, folate, manganese, vitamin E, thiamin, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Applications
Salted, in-shell Peanuts are eaten mainly as a high-protein snack. It is common to find roasted and salted, in-shell Peanuts for sale at baseball games in the United States or sold by street vendors. These nuts are also popular as a bar food throughout the United States, specifically at sports or dive bars, where it is encouraged to throw the shells on the ground while eating, creating a down-home atmosphere in the bar or restaurant. Unroasted in-shell Peanuts can be stored in an airtight container away from heat and light for up to a year. Once roasted, the peanuts will last for four weeks.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Salted, in-shell Peanuts and the all-American pastime, baseball, have gone hand in hand since the late 19th century. This relationship began in 1895 when Harry Stevens, a pioneering ballpark concessioner, sold advertising space on baseball scorecards to a peanut company. Instead of paying for the advertising space with cash, the company paid Stevens in peanuts, who, in turn, sold the peanuts at the ballparks. The snack fits perfectly with the slow-building tension of the game, allowing baseball fans to expend their nervous energy by shelling peanuts. The slight saltiness of the nut also worked well to keep baseball fans thirsty, leading to higher beer and soda sales. In 1908, the famous baseball anthem “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” began being played regularly in stadiums, reminding patrons to grab some “peanuts and cracker jacks,” further solidifying peanuts as the perfect snack. In the United States, no baseball game is complete without the rhythmic “peanuts here, get your peanuts here” call of peanut vendors and the steady crunch of peanuts being shelled throughout the stands. Roger Owens, the famous “Peanut Man” of Dodger Stadium, even made an appearance on the popular late-night show, The Tonight Show, where he showed off his impressive peanut throwing skills. Today, Hampton Farms, the largest supplier of in-shell Peanuts to baseball stadiums, sells more than 3.5 million bags of ballpark peanuts a year.
Geography/History
Peanuts originated in South America, likely in Peru or Brazil. There is early evidence of peoples in these areas mimicking the shape of peanuts in pottery and paintings are early as 1,500 BCE. Incan populations in Peru used Peanuts as offerings during burials and mummification. Peanuts were also used extensively by tribes in Brazil as a food source. European explorers were introduced to peanuts by tribes in Brazil in the early 16th century. The plant returned with these explorers to Spain. Explorers then spread them to Asia and Africa, where they quickly became a staple food source in indigenous diets in these regions. Although Peanuts are native to the Americas, the nuts were not introduced to North America until the 18th century, when enslaved Africans smuggled the nuts into the country. Peanuts thrived in the southern climate of the United States and quickly naturalized. Commercial farming of Peanuts in the United States became popular in the 1800s. Today, Peanuts are grown in 13 states across the southern United States, accounting for 25% of the world’s 47 million metric ton demand for nuts. China is by far the largest producer of Peanuts worldwide. In-shell Peanuts can be found in the snack aisle of most grocery stores in the United States.
