September 13th is National Peanut Day. January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day, February 21st is National Boiled Peanut Day, and PB&J lovers can look forward to April 2nd.

A bit of history about the peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as an earthnut, goober, groundnut, and monkey nuts.

But it isn’t a nut†, it’s a legume, a member of the pea and bean family, Fabaceae. If you want to sound truly knowledgeable, it’s a leguminous perennial plant.

The difference: A legume is a pod with multiple seeds. A nut has a hard outer shell protecting a single seed, the “nut.” You can drill down here.

The history of peanuts follows. Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Boiled peanuts: a delicious treat!

> The year’s 8 peanut holidays.

> The year’s 12 peanut butter holidays.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PEANUTS: A NEW WORLD CROP

Along with the bean, cacao, cassava, chia, chile, corn, papaya, pineapple, potato and sweet potato, quinoa, squash, sunflower, tomatillo and tomatoes, peanuts originated in Latin America.

According to the National Peanut Board, botanists believe that peanuts originated in Brazil or Peru. While there is no fossil record, we have a pottery record: Pottery in the shape of peanuts or jars decorated with peanut motifs date back as far as 3,500 years.

The archaeological record also shows that as early as 1500 B.C.E., the Incas in Peru used peanuts as a sacrificial offering. They were entombed with mummies for the afterlife. Tribes in central Brazil made a beverage from ground peanuts and maize.

Spanish and Portuguese explorers encountered peanuts in the 16th century; the Spanish in Mexico, the Portuguese in Brazil. They brought peanuts back to their home countries, and from there traders and explorers spread them to Asia and Africa.
 
 
PEANUTS COME TO THE U.S.

Peanuts came to North America in the 1700s via Africa, where they had been introduced by Portuguese traders. But it wasn’t until the early 1800s that peanuts were grown in the U.S. as a commercial crop, first in Virginia, where they were used mainly for oil and as a food for livestock and the poor.

Peanuts were eaten by Civil War soldiers as a protein-rich subsistence food. The Southern folk song “Goober Peas” was sung by Confederate soldiers (here’s a version sung by Burl Ives and Johnny Cash). After the war, Union soldiers brought them north.

Peanut popularity grew in the late 1800s thanks to P.T. Barnum, whose circus wagons traveled across the country selling “hot roasted peanuts” to the crowds. Soon street vendors and then ballpark vendors began selling them.

Around 1900, labor-saving equipment was invented for planting, cultivating, harvesting and picking the peanuts, then shelling and cleaning the kernels. With an abundance of supply, demand grew and their use expanded, especially for oil, roasted and salted nuts, peanut butter and candy (source).

And you get to enjoy them!

[2] Boiled peanuts are a popular Southern food, boiled in salted water that gives them a fresh, legume flavor. Here’s a recipe (photo © Bittersweet Blog).

[3] Peanut seedlings. The peanuts grow underground with the roots (photo © University Of Georgia).

Because “tree nut” is a culinary and allergy-related classification rather than a strict botanical one, the various nuts come from entirely different botanical orders and families. These plants last shared a common ancestor roughly 300 million years ago, making them very distant relatives, according to an evolutionary analysis. While they share a Domain (Eukarya), a Kingdom (Plantae) and a Clade (Angiosperms), they are highly diverse in their specific taxonomic placement.

Botanically, all tree nuts (as well as peanuts, which are legumes) converge at the Clade level, right below the Domain (Eukarya) and Kingdom (Plantae) levels. More specifically, they all belong to the Clade of Angiosperms (all plants producing flowers and seeds enclosed within a fruit), which is generally classified as the phylum/division Tracheophyta (vascular plants). Here’s the breakdown of why they don’t share a closer, common rank:

> Different Orders/Families: Tree nuts belong to at least five different orders: Ericales (Brazil nuts), Fagales (chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts), Proteales (macadamia), Rosales (almonds), and Sapindales (cashews, pistachios).

> Diverse Botanical Structures: They are not all true nuts; they are a mix of true nuts (hard shell, dry fruit), drupes (seed inside a stony pit, like almonds), and seeds.

The Taxonomic Hierarchy, using as an example the common apple tree, Malus domestica:
> Domain (highest rank): Eukarya.
> Kingdom (broad groups): Plantae
> Phylum or Division* (groups within a kingdom): Angiosperms (or Magnoliophyta); this group consists of multicellular organisms that typically produce their own food through photosynthesis. In botany, the term Division is often used instead of Phylum.
> Class (groups within a phylum): Eudicots (or Magnoliopsida); this group represents flowering plants that produce seeds within a fruit.
> Order (groups within a class): Rosales; these are flowering plants that have two embryonic leaves (cotyledons) when they sprout.
> Family (groups within an order): Rosaceae; this order includes a wide variety of plants, including roses, berries, and many orchard fruits.
> Genus (closely related species): Malus; Ccommonly known as the rose family, this group includes many economically important crops like pears, plums, and cherries.
> Species (most specific group/individual): domestica; this genus specifically refers to the group of trees and shrubs known as apples and crabapples. This is the specific identifier for the orchard apple or common apple that we eat.
> Cultivar: While not part of taxonomy, this refers to the different varieties of apple: Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, etc.

Taxonomy mnemonic: “King Philip Can Only Find Green Socks”: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
 

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What do you do when you have leftover chopped herbs and minced garlic?

Some people place them in a small container, to be used the next day in eggs, on salads, or to garnish other foods.

Some people freeze them, but they become soggy and lose flavor.

Some people toss them.

Here’s another solution: Freeze the chopped herbs in olive oil (or cooking oil of choice).

More specifically, place the herbs in ice cube compartments and fill with olive oil.

Then, just pop a cube to.

You can also let the cube melt at room temperature and use it to flavor a vinaigrette.

It’s a great trick for a big hit of flavor without having to buy fresh herbs.
  

When chefs create a recipe, they include elements of salt, acid, fat and heat (and sometimes, a pinch of sweetness).

It’s all about flavor: Salt enhances flavor; acid balances flavor; fat delivers flavor and mouthfeel; and heat (pepper, chiles, etc.) is a counterpoint.

But what about texture?

Good recipes take time to add texture as well: crunchy vegetables as well as leafy ones in a salad, meat in soup or croutons on top, nuts or brittle atop ice cream or a cookie alongside. It’s all about the crunch.

We all love to crunch, hence the popularity of chips and pretzels and other crunchy munchies (here’s why humans like crunchy foods).

You can crunchify foods at every meal of the day. For example, at breakfast alone, nuts and seeds can be added to:

 
At other meals of the day:

 
WAYS TO ADD CRUNCH TO YOUR MEALS

Savory Crunch

 
Sweet Crunch

 
So plan ahead for a trip to the market, or just search the cupboards, for crunch. As one of our colleagues says, “Crunchiness is next to godliness.” (She’s referring to the god of cuisine.)

[2] Panko, Japanese breadcrumbs, add crunch to chicken and fish. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart.

[3] Gazpacho with crunchy cucumber garnish (plus chiles and peaches), from Botanica Restaurant | L.A.

*Arare are a classic Japanese bar snack: crunchy, seasoned mini rice crackers, some wrapped with nori; wasabi peas and nuts (photo). The crackers are made in different sizes, colors, and shapes: a fun and tasty snack!

[2] Hummus logs, with either celery, fennel or cucumber logs (photo courtesy Cava).

[3] Classic Ants On A Log, given a classy treatment: angled corners for the logs, a mix of raisins and sultanas for the ants. You can also use dried cherries or cranberries (photo courtesy Food 52).

The second Tuesday of September is National Ants On A Log Day, a kid-friendly snack.

But the cuteness doesn’t limit the idea to kids. It’s fun for adults, too, and can substitute for the familiar plate of crudités.

Classic Ants On A Log (photo #3)fills pieces of celery with peanut butter (the log) with a line of raisins on top (the ants).

Here are more clever variations, plus the history of Ants On A Log.
 
RECIPE #1: FRIENDS OF ANTS ON A LOG

The food stylists at Woman’s Day expanded the concept (photo #1), and we’ve added to it.

Ingredients For Both Caterpillars & Snails

 
For The Caterpillars

 
For The Snails

 
 
RECIPE #2: HUMMUS LOGS
Ingredients For Photo #2: Hummus Logs

These ideas are from Cava, an East Coast Mediterranean restaurant chain.

The concept is friendly for kids, while sophisticated enough for cocktail snacks.
 
Ingredients

 
Plus

1. MAKE the caterpillars: Fill the celery stalks with peanut butter or cream cheese and top with grapes, blueberries or grape tomatoes for the body and head. Use peanut butter or cream cheese to glue on candy eyes and celery or radish matchstick for antennae.

2. MAKE the snails: Fill celery stalks with peanut butter or cream cheese and top with an apple, cucumber, kiwi, orange or tomato slice shell and a cashew “head.” Use peanut butter or cream cheese to glue on candy eyes.

3. MAKE the hummus logs: Fill the celery stalks or cucumber logs with hummus (first scrape out some of the cucumber center for the hummus). Add the toppings and sprinkle with a bit of the herbs.

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*Add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne to a cup of peanut butter, or to taste. You want subtle, not overpowering.

  

Recipes for simply-cooked meat or poultry—roasted, grilled, sautéed—typically advise: season with salt and pepper.

You can do better than that! Chef Sarah Russo of Pre Brands beef suggests additional seasonings that work for almost all meat and poultry.

Her technique for maximum flavor is to use at least three spices plus salt. For example:

 
Try these combinations; then, if you particularly like another spice, experiment with your own combination.

In addition to salting before cooking, try these trios of spices (photo courtesy Pre Brand).