Peanut butter
Paste made from ground peanuts
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Interest in “Peanut butter” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-27.
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Key Takeaways
- Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts.
- Consumed in many countries, it is the most commonly used of the nut butters, a group that also includes cashew butter and almond butter.
- It is typically served as a spread on bread, toast, or crackers and used to make sandwiches (notably the peanut butter and jelly sandwich).
- History The earliest references to peanut butter can be traced to Aztec and Inca civilizations, who ground roasted peanuts into a paste.
- Several people can be credited with the invention of modern peanut butter and the processes involved in making it.
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Consumed in many countries, it is the most commonly used of the nut butters, a group that also includes cashew butter and almond butter.
Peanut butter is a nutrient-rich food containing high levels of protein, several vitamins, and dietary minerals. It is typically served as a spread on bread, toast, or crackers and used to make sandwiches (notably the peanut butter and jelly sandwich). It is also used in a number of breakfast dishes and desserts, such as granola, smoothies, crepes, cookies, brownies, or croissants.
History
The earliest references to peanut butter can be traced to Aztec and Inca civilizations, who ground roasted peanuts into a paste. The Bainbridge Post-Searchlight reports that 16th-century Aztecs used peanut paste for aching gums.
Several people can be credited with the invention of modern peanut butter and the processes involved in making it. The U.S. National Peanut Board credits three modern inventors with the earliest patents related to the production of modern peanut butter. Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, obtained the first patent for a method of producing peanut butter from roasted peanuts using heated surfaces in 1884. Edson's cooled product had "a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment" according to his patent application which described a process of milling roasted peanuts until the peanuts reached "a fluid or semi-fluid state". He mixed sugar into the paste to harden its consistency.
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