Peanuts enjoy widespread popularity among masses, and this has been so for a very long time. There’s hardly any person in the world who would grow into an adult without being through a childhood studded with memories of spending idle evenings cracking open peanuts and gobbling the contents in a jiffy. Peanuts are so common that not even the most inquisitive of persons would lend a thought to the lesser known characteristics of these little wobbly snacks. In fact, it would be a shaker of sorts for many to be told that peanuts are actually not nuts.
Peanuts are actually legumes, and not found on trees and plants, as is the case with many forms of nuts. Peanut legumes develop and grow under the ground before popping out and advancing to a height of around 60 cm. The cultivators of South America are credited as the originators of peanuts. History has it that the plantation of peanuts began as early 1000 B.C. South Americans carried the peanut plantation further and helped a lot in understanding the nature of these cute little legumes. It is also believed that Columbus came across peanuts in 1462 when he set foot on the island of Haiti. Subsequently, peanuts found a way into India and China. Over the years, peanuts gathered unparalleled popularity and today, peanuts are a part of the cultivation scheme of things in every country. Generally, peanuts are harvested after a period of 5 months after plantation. Growing peanuts is so simple that one can easily do so at home using a suitable container or pot.
Though several peanut varieties have made their name over the years, the American peanuts still manage to keep their position as the real deal, the authentic peanuts! Four variants of American peanuts find extensive usage in candies, peanut oils, peanut butter, and many other peanut derivatives. In America, peanuts are planted in many areas, such as Oklahoma, Texas, North Mexico, Virginia, South and North Carolina. Georgia’s peanut plantations also contribute a major percentage to the total production of peanuts in United States. The scales of plantation, however, have tilted the world share of peanut produce towards producers such as China and India. The two economies gobble up as much as more than 50% of the total peanut production! That said, American cultivators still get the credit for introducing the wonderful little peanuts to the world.