Peanuts

Nicknames abound for the peanut; groundnut is often seen in older cookbooks. One common southern name, goober or gooberpea, comes directly from the African “nguba.” Though the peanut originated in Brazil, it was from Africa that North America received it as an important culinary item. In Guinea the peanut had quickly become a staple food after its Portuguese introduction. Its food value is great, and it was a common ship food for the enslaved blacks en route to the Americas.