Peanuts

Firstly, peanuts are not actually a nut. They are a legume, just like a lentil, a bean or a pea. Out of their shell and toasted, of course, they more closely resemble a hazelnut than a broad bean, but they are definitely not nuts. The fruits of the plant mature underground (hence the American name groundnut) not on branches above the ground.

Peanuts are both demonised and adored in equal measure. Well, actually they are only disliked by a small number of people, and with good reason. Peanuts can cause anaphylactic shock in people allergic to them, and have caused deaths. What is surprising is that whilst some people in the Western world have grown allergic to them, it is almost unheard of in other countries in South-East Asia, China, Africa and India. A lot of research is currently being carried out to understand why this is. But it does pay to note, that if you are allergic to peanuts you may not necessarily be allergic to real nuts.