Who Invented Peanut Butter?

The First Peanut Butter

Peanuts originated in South America. As far back as 950 BC, the Inca civilization ground peanuts and made a thin paste to eat as part of their diet. Over time, peanuts made their way to North America. By the early 1800s, peanuts were being grown commercially in the United States.

Peanut Paste Then Peanut Butter

Before peanut butter, there was peanut paste. In 1884, Marcellus Gilmore Edson was given a patent for peanut paste. Edson made his peanut paste from roasted peanuts. John Harvey Kellogg was granted a patent in 1898 to make peanut butter using boiled peanuts, rather than roasted peanuts. Kellogg included peanut butter in the dietary plans at his health institute. Peanut butter was also used by a St. Louis physician as a recommended substitute for protein for his older patients that had difficulty chewing meat.

The Popularity of Peanut Butter

While Marcellus Edson and John Harvey Kellogg are credited with patenting peanut butter, the popularity of peanut butter came from various sources. George Washington Carver encouraged farmer’s in the south to plant peanuts as an alternative crop when the boll weevil destroyed cotton crops. Several other factors brought about the increased popularity of peanuts of peanuts and peanut butter. In 1894, a businessman from St. Louis, George Bayle was the first person to sell peanut butter as a snack food. Peanut butter got another boost in popularity when it was introduced to those in attendance at the 1904 World’s Fair. For the soldiers of WW l and WW ll, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were not only a sustaining food but also a well-liked food. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches remain popular with today’s children and adults.

Peanut Butter’s Continued Popularity

Peanut butter is a source of what is referred to as healthy fats. It can be included in many diet plans, including low-carb and diabetic diets. It’s an easily portable food and can be paired with bread, crackers, and fruit. There’s an abundance of ways to include peanut butter in a healthy diet plan. It is estimated that Americans eat around 6 pounds of peanut products a year. Of that six pounds, 50 percent of what is eaten is in the form of peanut butter. According to statistics, more than one half of the population of the United States eats peanut butter.