The earliest reference to peanut butter can be traced back to Incas and the Aztecs who ground roasted peanuts into a paste. In 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts which was marketed it as a nutritious protein substitute for patients that lacked teeth. This product was served at expensive health care institutes and as such subject to classicism with peanut butter initially only being a food for wealthy people.
Peanut butter didn't gain much publicity until the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Then in 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub received a patent for a “mill for grinding peanuts for butter.” Bayle Food Products of St. Louis went on to become peanut butter’s first American vendor. Around this time, peanut butter started to appear in places beyond expensive health care institutes and appeared in upscale tea rooms in New York City. However, it was still subject to classicism and considered a delicacy.
A major leap was made in 1922 with chemist Joseph Rosefield inventing a process for making smooth peanut butter that kept the oil from separating by using partially hydrogenated oil. He then licensed his invention to the company that created 'Peter Pan’ peanut butter" in 1928 and in 1932 he began producing his own peanut butter under the name "Skippy," a brand that is still very popular today.
Despite this endorsement by commercial brands, peanut butter did not become the popular product that it is today until WW2. Peanut butter provided an inexpensive and high protein alternative to meat for soldiers and they used to call it “monkey butter.” It was also a shelf-stable ingredient and easily portable on long marches thus it was quickly embraced by the military. Additionally, when nationwide food rationing was instituted in the United States, peanut butter was not rationed. As a good cheap alternative (peanut butter sold for 24 cents a jar) and a readily available source of protein, it quickly became very popular.
When soldiers came home from the war, peanut butter sales soared even more along with jelly sales and the PB&J sandwich quickly became an icon in American society. If you happen to be curious about the marvelous substance known as "jelly," you should check out Stella's post. (No we are not doing this on purpose ;) )
I thought that this post was very interesting and I really liked reading about the history of a seemingly obscure food. Another part of peanut butter's popularity growth came with Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich: peanut butter, banana, and bacon. This sandwich is known as "The Elvis" and because Elvis Presley's popularity as an artist was so huge, his favorite sandwich also became very popular. Interestingly enough, since Elvis Presley did not cook, his mother, Gladys Presley, always made him these sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/04/20/elvis-presleys-favorite-sandwich-was-peanut-butter-banana-and-bacon/
I really liked reading this blog post as it showed me the interesting history of peanut butter, a staple snack of many American homes. They were first grown in Virginia and used mainly for oil, food and as a cocoa substitute. At this time, peanuts were regarded as a food for livestock and the poor and were considered difficult to grow and harvest. Harvesting them was by hand but left the peanuts with the stems and other trash around the peanuts so new machines were made to harvest and clean the peanuts.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/peanut-info/history-peanuts-peanut-butter.htm