Peanut

Peanuts are a member of the legume family (as are beans, lentils, peas, and soybeans) and are not actually classified as a nut. They are also called goobers, goober peas, groundnuts, and grass nuts. The most common varieties are the Virginia and the Spanish peanut. Native to South America, the peanut plant was introduced to Africa by European explorers and reached North America with African slaves. Although peanuts form underground, they are not tubers but seeds that are enclosed in a nutlike shell. Peanut farming in the United States began after the Civil War as a result of Southern farmers looking for a crop that would not be subject to the pests associated with cotton. The most famous researcher into the many uses of peanuts was George Washington Carver, whose discoveries helped establish peanut farming as a major industry. In the United States, peanut butter is the most important peanut product, but very little peanut butter is consumed in other countries. About two-thirds of the peanut crop worldwide is used for peanut oil. Peanuts, including peanut butter, are mostly used in cookies in the pastry kitchen; peanuts are also found, of course, in peanut brittle.