Boiled peanuts are popular in some places wherepeanuts are common. Fully mature peanuts do not make good quality boiled peanuts; rather, raw or green ones are used.Raw denotes peanuts in a semi-mature state, having achieved full size but not being fully dried, as would be needed for roasting orpeanut butter use.Green denotes freshly harvested and undried peanuts that must be refrigerated. Afterboiling in salt water they take on a strong salty taste, becoming softer with prolonged cooking, and somewhat resembling apea orbean, to which they are related because they arelegumes and anut only in the culinary sense.
The most flavorful peanuts for boiling are theValencia type. These are preferred in the United States, being grown in gardens and small patches throughoutthe South. GreenVirginia-type peanuts are also sometimes used.
Boiled peanuts are widely consumed and commercially available in an area of theSouthern United States fromNorth Carolina, south to centralFlorida, as far north asOhio, and west toMississippi.[1] The peanuts are sold in the hull and boiled with only salt or with a piquant spice mixture such asOld Bay orZatarain's. The latter are often called "Cajun boiled peanuts" in many recipes.
Boiling peanuts has been a folk cultural practice in theSouthern United States, where they were originally called goober peas, since at least the 19th century. The practice of eating boiled peanuts was likely brought by enslaved black people fromWest Africa, where the relatedbambara groundnut is a traditional staple crop.[2]: 64 In July and August, when the peanut crops would come in, unsold and surplus peanuts would be prepared in a boiling pot, and extended families and neighbors would gather to share conversation and food. Like afish fry, peanut boils have been organizing principles for social gatherings. Likeokra, fried green tomatoes,black-eyed peas,collard greens andporkbarbecue, boiled peanuts are symbols of Southern culture and cuisine.
The first recipe for boiled peanuts was published byAlmeda Lambert in 1899.[2]: 64 Boiled peanuts became a mainstream commodity in the lower South in the early 20th century.[2]: 64 A 1925 account fromOrangeburg, South Carolina (where author Andrew F. Smith believes the sale of boiled peanuts may have begun), mentions boys hawking the food as a snack for five cents per bag.[2]: 64 The snack was also canned for consumption out of season.[2]: 64
Raw peanuts and green peanuts are generally used for boiled peanuts. A green peanut is a farm-fresh harvested peanut that has not been dehydrated. They are available from grocery stores, food distributors and farmers markets during the growing season. "Raw" peanuts are also uncooked but have been dried/dehydrated and must be rehydrated before boiling (usually in a bowl full of water overnight). Once rehydrated, the raw peanuts are ready to be boiled.[3]
Raw peanuts in the shell are put in a large pot of very heavily salted water and boiled. This can be done inside on a stove, or outside on a propane burner or fire pit for a larger volume. Depending on the locality, some cooks userock salt or standard table salt, or both. The boil can go on from four to seven hours or more, depending on quantity and the age of the peanut (green peanuts cook faster and tend to be better tasting), and the boilings will most often be of several gallons of water. Flavorings such asham hocks, hot sauce, Cajun seasonings or beer can be added to the boil. An alternative method for dried raw mature peanuts is to rehydrate them by soaking overnight in water, after which they can be cooked in the conventional manner.
The resulting snack is a very soft peanut in the shell, invariably quite salty. The softened peanuts are easy to open. Often small, immature peanuts (called "pops") are included; these have even softer shells and can be eaten in their entirety. They tend to absorb more salt than the larger ones. Some aficionados of the dish prefer them cooked for a shorter period of time so that the nut is not as soft.
Boiled peanuts can become slimy or moldy quite quickly without refrigeration. Boiled peanuts can be frozen, then later reheated in a microwave or boiling water for out-of-season consumption. Properly frozen, the flavor is well maintained for even several years.
Boiled peanuts can also be canned and are available commercially.[4]
On May 1, 2006, GovernorMark Sanford signed a bill, H.4585, making boiled peanuts the official snack food ofSouth Carolina.[5]
InGhana andNigeria, boiled peanuts are eaten asstreet food.[citation needed] They are also popular in the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa, especially in Durban.
Historically, theBambara groundnut was eaten boiled much like a boiled peanut in much of Africa.[2]: 8 Following the introduction of peanuts to Africa in the 16th century, they largely displaced theBambara groundnut in cuisine.[2]: 9
InChina, peanuts are generally boiled with a little salt, sometimes withstar anise.[6]
Boiled peanuts inTaiwan are calledtǔdòu (土豆), although this also refers to peanuts boiled without the hulls such as those inpeanut soup (tǔdòu tang 土豆湯). Boiled peanuts were traditionally sold in Taiwan by itineranthawkers (rather than in fixed markets) or prepared in homes by boiling the peanuts inwoks. With itinerant hawkers increasingly rare in the country, boiled peanuts in the shell are now seldom consumed.
InVietnam, boiled peanuts are calledđậu phọng luộc in the southern part of the country andlạc luộc in the northern part of Vietnam. They are often appreciated by eating them at informal gatherings of friends and family while drinking beer poured over ice.
InSingapore, boiled peanuts are called 卤花生 or kacang rebus. 卤花生 is the Chinese version which is often boiled without the shell in dark soy sauce andFive spice.
InIndia,Indonesia, thePhilippines andThailand, boiled peanuts are eaten as street food.[citation needed]
Boiled peanuts have been eaten for centuries in South America.[2]: 64 InSalvador, Bahia, boiled peanuts are eaten asstreet food.[citation needed]
Edward Long, in his 1774History of Jamaica, notes the consumption of boiled peanuts on the island.[2]: 13 This practice was likely brought by the enslaved black people from Africa, where Long himself believed peanuts originated.[2]: 64, 13
The process of boiling peanuts draws antioxidants from their shells. The boiled peanuts have four times the antioxidants of raw or roasted peanuts.[7] Boiled peanuts have also been studied as a potential way to treat people with peanut allergies since boiling peanuts denatures proteins that trigger allergic reactions. In one study, boiled peanuts were given in increasing amounts to four patients over time. Some but not all patients were able to start eating raw peanuts.[8]