Snacks, Salty: Nuts and Peanuts

Nuts require little preparation, are relatively inexpensive, and can easily be transported. Historically, nuts were roasted and salted by vendors and homemakers, but the commercial processes of how to salt nuts so that the salt remains on the nut after packaging was not learned until the early twentieth century. The most important nuts grown and sold in America are almonds, walnuts, and pecans, followed by chestnuts, pistachios, and macadamias. In addition, cashews and Brazil nuts are imported. The most important snack nut is the peanut, which technically is a legume. Peanuts were relatively unimportant as a snack food until after the Civil War, when vendors began selling them on streets in cities. One peanut vendor was Amedeo Obici, an Italian-born immigrant who created Planters Peanuts, which became a national snack food company in less than two decades and remains America’s most popular nut brand.