All-Purpose Nuts

Some nuts we think of primarily as snacks. They are sold toasted and salted, sometimes even sweetened with honey or sugar. However, for the cook, plain, untreated nuts are the most useful.

The most popular of all snacks must be the peanut, also called groundnut and earth nut. Originally from South America, the peanut is actually the seed of a tropical legume. Two types are important commercially: the small Spanish, and the longer Virginian peanut; both are similar in flavor. Smaller varieties are important for oil. Peanuts appear in curries, vegetable stews and sauces, notably in West African cooking.