9 Things You Never Knew About Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is certainly a beloved ingredient by all. Between spreading it on PB&J, topping it on oatmeal, or even cooking other delicious recipes, peanut butter is a versatile ingredient and a great source of protein and healthy fats. But besides how delicious it is, how much do you really know about this nutty spread? We looked at some of the crazy peanut butter facts that are out there and had to share them with all of you. Here are a few of our favorites.
It takes 540 peanuts to make a 12 oz. jar.
According to the National Peanut Board, it takes about 540 peanuts to make a simple 12 oz. jar of peanut butter. So when you question how peanut butter is so calorie-dense, you can try to imagine the number of peanuts you are actually consuming when you spread it on your toast.
Try making it yourself! Here's how to make your own nut butter.
"Peanut butter" legally must have 90% peanuts.
After an FDA regulation was passed in the 1960s, a jar of peanut butter cannot be legally called so unless it is made of at least 90% peanuts. Anything that has less than that will likely be labeled "peanut butter spread."
It takes 5 gallons of water for 1 oz. of peanuts.
On average, it takes about 4.7 gallons of water to make 1 oz. of shelled peanuts. If you think that sounds like a lot, then compare it to the amount of water it takes to make 1 oz. of shelled almonds (80.4 gallons) or 1 oz. of shelled walnuts (73.5 gallons).
The average person will eat 2,984 PB&Js in their lifetime.
In a survey published by Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter, it was revealed that the average person would eat around 2,984 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during their lifetime. According to the New York Daily News, if you were to stack those up on top of each other, it would be taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Strawberry jam is the chosen pair to peanut butter, not grape.
While you would think grape jelly to be the flavor of choice for the quintessential PB&J sandwich, according to the results from a survey conducted by the Huffington Post, strawberry jelly or jam is actually the number one choice. 36.5% of surveyed respondents chose strawberry, 31% chose grape, and 20.5% chose raspberry.
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Peanut butter was made for people with no teeth.
What do you do for patients that have no teeth and need protein? You get creative! At least that's what Dr. John Harvey Kellogg thought in 1895 when he made the first peanut butter. Peanut butter was officially introduced in 1904 at the St. Louise World's Fair.
The average European eats less than 1 tbsp. of peanut butter a year.
NPR reported in 2012 that the average European only eats less than 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in a year. This is significantly lower compared to the average American, who eats around 3 pounds a year.
Peanut butter can turn into diamonds.
In 2014, a group of geo-researchers tested different materials they could make into diamonds, which did include peanut butter. Because peanut butter has a high carbon count, they were able to produce a very small diamond from their experiment.
One acre of peanuts can make 30,000 sandwiches.
A mere acre of peanuts can make quite a few peanut butter sandwiches—30,000 to be exact! One acre of peanut bushels can produce up to 4,000 pounds.
Read more: We Tasted The "World's Best Peanut Butter"—Here's the Honest Truth
