In addition to the smooth peanut butter, a crunchy variety is also available in the United States. Crunchy peanut butter is made using the same process as smooth (or creamy) peanut butter, but in the final stage of production, a generous amount of coarsely ground, roasted peanut (1mm to 2mm in diameter) is blended into the prepared mix to give the final product a crunchy texture. While making it a bit more difficult to spread, it offers a more natural peanut flavor than traditional creamy peanut butter.
Peanuts are native to the tropics of the Americas and were mashed to become a pasty substance by the Aztec Native Americans hundreds of years ago. A number of peanut paste products have been used over the centuries, and the distinction between peanut paste and peanut butter is not always clearcut in ordinary use. Early "models" of peanut butter, like the Aztecs' version, were nothing but pure roasted peanut paste. It was harder to work with and spread than regular peanut butter and had more of an unadulterated, yet somewhat more bitter taste. Vegetable oil was also later added to most brands to aid in its spreadability, but with new modern processing machines being invented, the peanut butter was already significantly smoother than it had been.Evidence of peanut butter as it is known today comes from U.S. Patent 306,727, issued in 1884 to Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for the finished product of the process of milling roasted peanuts between
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Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia particularly the Philippines. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The United States and China are leading exporters of peanut butter. Other nuts are used as the basis for similar nut butters.
