Peanut

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as the groundnut, goober (US, via Kikongo), goober pea, pindar (US, via Kikongo) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds, contained in underground pods. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as a grain legume and as an oil crop. Underground fruiting (geocarpy) is atypical among legumes, which led botanist Carl Linnaeus to name the species hypogaea, from Greek 'under the earth'. The peanut belongs to the flowering plant family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), commonly known as the pea family, and is native to South America. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations. Edible products include peanut oil and peanut butter. Peanut sauces are used in Latin America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, while in the Indian subcontinent, they are added to salads and stews. In North America, peanuts are used in candies, cakes, and cookies, while peanut butter is widely eaten. Some people are allergic to peanuts and can have a fatal reaction. The plant tops are used for silage, while oilcake meal is used as animal feed and as a fertilizer. Industrial uses include paint, varnish, and furniture polish made with peanut oil.

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also known as the groundnut, goober (US, via Kikongo), goober pea, pindar (US, via Kikongo) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds, contained in underground pods. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as a grain legume and as an oil crop. Underground fruiting (geocarpy) is atypical among legumes, which led botanist Carl Linnaeus to name the species hypogaea, from Greek 'under the earth'. The peanut belongs to the flowering plant family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), commonly known as the pea family, and is native to South America. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations. Edible products include peanut oil and peanut butter. Peanut sauces are used in Latin America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, while in the Indian subcontinent, they are added to salads and stews. In North America, peanuts are used in candies, cakes, and cookies, while peanut butter is widely eaten. Some people are allergic to peanuts and can have a fatal reaction. The plant tops are used for silage, while oilcake meal is used as animal feed and as a fertilizer. Industrial uses include paint, varnish, and furniture polish made with peanut oil. ==See also== Aflatoxin African Groundnut Council BBCH-scale (peanut) Beer Nuts Columbian exchange Cracker nuts Ground nut soup List of peanut dishes List of edible seeds Peanut pie Power snack Tanganyika groundnut scheme, a failure started in 1951 Universal Nut Sheller ==References== ==Further reading== Beasley, John (2019). "Peanuts". New Georgia Encyclopedia; 49% of the American peanut crop is grown in the state of Georgia. Cumo, Christopher, ed. (2015). Foods That Changed History: How Foods Shaped Civilization from the Ancient World to the Present. Facts on File. Hammons, R. O. (1994). "The origin and history of the groundnut" in The groundnut crop: a scientific basis for improvement. Springer Netherlands. pp. 24–42. Hughes, Meredith Sayles (1999). Spill the Beans and Pass the Peanuts: Legumes. Lerner. Johnson, Sylvia A. (1997). Tomatoes, Potatoes, Corn, and Beans: How the Foods of the Americas Changed Eating around the World. Atheneum Books. Krampner, Jon (2013). Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food. Columbia University Press. Singh, B., and U. Singh (1991). "Peanut as a Source of Protein for Human Foods". Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 41:165–177. Skolnick, Helen S., et al. (2001). "The Natural History of Peanut Allergy". Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 107.2:367–374. Smith, Andrew F. (2002). Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea. University of Illinois Press. Smart, J. (1994). The Groundnut Crop: A Scientific Basis for Improvement. Chapman and Hall. United States Bureau of Agricultural Economics (1947). Peanuts in Southern Agriculture. Variath, Murali T., and P. Janila (2017). "Economic and Academic Importance of Peanut". The Peanut Genome pp. 7–26. ==External links==

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