Sunflower seed

Sunflower seeds contain up to 47 percent fat by weight; the plants are cultivated primarily for oil production. Sunflowers (genus Helianthus) were grown by the natives of both North and South America before they were exported to Europe and Asia. In the eighteenth century, Peter the Great introduced the sunflower to Russia, where it was embraced because the Church had banned the eating of oily plants on fast days. The sunflower, however, being new to the country, was not listed as a forbidden food, and soon people were enjoying the roasted seeds and, later, extracting the oil from them. Russia continues to be one of the largest producers of the crop to this day. Sunflower seeds, in addition to being a snack food that is particularly well liked by the Russian people, is also used extensively in Russian confectionery.