Coastin Carl
🍞 National PEANUT BUTTER Day ORIGIN & HISTORY
Many households regularly stock jars of peanut butter in their pantry. Indeed peanut butter enjoys several celebrations throughout the year but National PEANUT BUTTER Day is celebrated on January 24th.
It was Marcellus Edson who first patented the modern peanut butter we know and love today in 1884, but the ancient Incans and Aztecs used to grind it up to a paste consistency with maize to make a drink almost 3000 years before. The Incans went as far as to entomb their mummies with peanuts to aid in the afterlife. The peanut plant probably originated in South America.
After the turn of the 20th century, industrialization made the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of peanuts much easier and started to be put into more products. Heretofore, the peanut was considered more of a feed for animals at the time. How quickly its star power has risen over the decades.
Dr John Kellogg who was always tinkering around with cereals and health foods of the day developed and patented a way to process raw peanuts in 1895. Dr Ambrose Straub went as far as to patent a peanut butter-making machine in 1903. Later in 1922, Joseph Rosefield figured out how to keep the oil and the peanuts from separating by using homogenization. He sold his patent to Peter Pan and later became a distributor of Skippy’s peanut butter including helping the war effort in WWII.
And did I mention it’s not a nut at all? It’s a legume with edible seed pods also known as the groundnut or goober in the United States. Sometimes you’ll hear it called the monkey nut in the United Kindom. Its species is hypogaea, which means “under the earth” and is more like a bean but considered an oil crop because of its higher oil content. Peanuts are still similar in taste and nutrients to tree nuts, especially almonds or walnuts. Whatever they are — they’re delicious!
🍯 HOW to Celebrate & Observe National PEANUT BUTTER Day?
Not sure how to LOVE the day? We’ve got a few interesting ideas to consider that may help get you started.
Here are some activities that you can do on National PEANUT BUTTER Day!
💙 Make the KING proud
My father used to eat peanut butter, banana, and mayonnaise sandwiches. Elvis Presley famously ordered up a mess of PB, banana, and bacon sandwiches fried up in butter and drizzled with a little honey. The point is to use peanut butter in a recipe like baking up a nice dessert, or in a great Thai dish with a lovely peanut sauce. Try having some peanut butter with your oatmeal in the morning.
💙 SNACK around
If raw vegetables are your thing, try scooping up some peanut butter in a stalk of celery, or whipping up a batch of healthier peanut butter cookies or brownies. Although not the best for you, I’ve been known to add warm PB to an ice cream dish or swirl it up with some chocolate frosting and enjoy it with a spoon! YUM 🥜.
💙 Give THANKS
Thank a peanut farmer. If you live in a region that grows peanuts, it’s always nice to appreciate the hard work that goes into farming … early mornings and sometimes late nights.
💙 PB & Fitness
Incorporate peanut butter into your next workout routine by making a protein-packed peanut butter smoothie to enjoy post-exercise.
💙 RAISE Social Awareness
Use social media posts with the hashtags #NationalPeanutButterDay, #PeanutButterDay, #PeanutButter, #PeanutButterLovers, #FoodHolidays, #JanuaryHolidays, #Holiday, #FindADayToLOVE, #iHEARTdays to support the importance of celebrating, promoting, and sharing with the world why you ❤️ National PEANUT BUTTER Day.
LEARN more about how PEANUT BUTTER is made
SEVEN Fun Facts you never knew about National PEANUT BUTTER Day
- Julia Chandler wrote the first recipe for a PB&J sandwich in 1901 for a Boston Cooking School magazine using jelly made from crab apples or currants.
- Peanut butter quickly became a protein source for WWI & WWII and was first introduced in 1904 at the St Louis World’s Fair by C.H. Sumner selling concessions.
- Peanut oil is considered a high-quality cooking oil able to withstand higher temps and doesn’t keep the flavors of the food fried in it.
- It takes about 540 peanuts to make one 12 oz jar of peanut butter. And it also takes less than five gallons of water to produce 1 oz of peanuts whereas almonds take 80 gallons to produce the same amount!
- Astronaut Alan Shepard brought with him a peanut to the moon. Sadly Mr Peanut got lost in the mid-1980s and would never be heard from again while I was making a phone call with our avocado-colored phone.
- In the US, “peanut butter” must consist of at least 90% peanuts.
- Both Georgia’s own Jimmy Carter and Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson were peanut farmers and elected to the highest office in the land, President of the United States.
Famous PEOPLE also born on January 24th
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Neil Diamond
One of the most successful American singer-songwriter & musician who sold over 100 million records best known for hits like “Sweet Caroline”, “America”, and “I am … I Said”. Born 1941.
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Edith Wharton
American novelist & writer best known for novels such as Ethan Frome. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1921 for The Age of Innocence. She often criticized the upper-class social code of which she was a part. Her father’s family (born Edith Newbold Jones) were wealthy from real estate. The colloquial saying “keeping up with the Joneses” is referring directly to her father’s family. Born 1862.
EDITH WHARTON Quote
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
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Michio Kaku
American theoretical physicist & futurist who is a frequent science television correspondent. He has numerous bestsellers on topics ranging from superstring theory, supergravity, supersymmetry, and hadronic physics to string field theory, an offshoot of regular string theory. Born 1947.
Future DATES for National PEANUT BUTTER Day
| Year | Date | Day of the Week |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | January 24 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | January 24 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | January 24 | Friday |
| 2026 | January 24 | Saturday |
| 2027 | January 24 | Sunday |
🥜 Peanut Butter FAQ
What is POWDERED peanut butter?
WHEN is National PEANUT BUTTER Day?
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- National PEANUT BUTTER Day is an annual celebration held on January 24th each year.
- Many powdered peanut butters are defatted, which means they have fewer calories and contain very little fat. Two tablespoons of defatted powdered peanut butter holds only 50 calories. Most of the oils have been pressed out and then ground into a fine powder. Add it to a smoothie or pour in some water to reconstitute for a more creamy consistency.
- National PEANUT BUTTER Day is an annual celebration held on January 24th each year.
Why we L💜VE National PEANUT BUTTER Day
Because we just love peanut butter. Creamy, crunchy, or foods with peanut butter like Asian dishes, peanut butter pie, peanut butter chocolate cheesecake, cookies, and Reese’s peanut butter cups. Lately, I’ve been enjoying natural peanut butter – just ground up peanuts. It tastes great!
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Peanut Butter is GOOD For You
Ever heard of the phrase, “Peanut Butter will stick to your ribs”? It’s true, it has a lot of staying power on account of a moderate amount of monounsaturated oil that’s in it. PB is a great source of potassium, iron, niacin, and vitamins E & B6. There are about 188 calories in 2 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter and it’s a good source of protein so you’ll be fuller longer. If you don’t snack, it could help you in your weight loss goal with a better metabolism. But don’t go hog wild and start eating out of the jar!
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We EAT it Up
Peanut butter accounts for half of the use we have for peanuts; the other half are snack nuts & peanut confections. Unlike the rest of the world, Americans consume more peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut candy — more than six pounds of peanut products each year which is a $2 billion market. A PB sandwich is both economical and spans generations both young and old. In fact, the average adult eats a PB&J sandwich about three times a month.
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