peanuts 🥜

origin:

peanuts, are also known as groundnuts, goobers or monkey nuts but have a misleading name. as they grow on legume plants and belong to the pea family, they are seeds. peanuts are thought to be originated in peru or brazil in south america. in the 1800’s peanuts traveled to europe via spain and were first used to make oil or as food for livestock. after the civil war peanuts became popular as they have a great protein as well as fat content which kept the soldiers satiated. They were soon sold from carts in the streets of all major cities. peanut butter, probably the most famous product made from peanuts, was only invented in the early 1900’s by a doctor who wanted to make sure his older patients without teeth could benefit from the great properties. and did you know that it takes about 550 peanuts to make one pot of it?

properties:

one serving of peanuts (28 grams) contains about 160 calories, 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fibre. this one serving also provides 20% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin e, 21% of copper, 25% of vitamin b3 and 26% of manganese. peanuts also contain some folate, choline, magnesium, zinc, iron and selenium. 

benefits:

besides their nutritional value and great distribution of macronutrients, peanuts offer certain micronutrients that improve the metabolism and help in the prevention of different diseases. it shows that peanuts help control blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease. they have also been linked to a decreased risk of gallstones and alzheimer’s disease. although they are high in fat, they have also been linked to healthy weight control and even weight loss. this is probably due to the fact that the combination of fat and fibre is very satiating. 

use:

besides being used in peanut butter to spread on slices of bread or top oatmeal with, peanuts work great in different types of meals. think about an asian stir fry dish or as the crunchy topping of a salad. In the netherlands peanuts are also used to make the marinade for the famous kip saté, chicken skewers in a marinade of peanut butter and sweet soy sauce.

looking for more? just come by and visit our vegan restaurants in the city centre of groningen and hamburg. we offer fresh, healthy, and delicious bowls, topped with peanuts and our famous peanut dressing.