National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day is on April 2, and we couldn’t be more excited! Mostly popular in the U.S., peanut butter and jelly may seem like an odd combination to some, but it sure is a great snack.
The best part is the many combinations of this classic — choosing different flavors of jelly or alternating between creamy and crunchy peanut butter.
- 1896 – In an article published in the Good Housekeeping magazine, a recipe “urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread.”
- 1900s – Peanut butter was considered a delicacy in the early 1900s and was only served in New York City’s finest tea rooms.
- 1901 – Home economist Julia Davis Chandler publishes a recipe for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the “Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics.”
- 1904 – Peanut butter first introduced to the USA in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis by C.H. Sumner, who sold $705.11 of the “new treat” at his concession stand.
- 1920s – The price of peanut butter declined, and the sandwich became very popular with children.
- 1928 – The big kicker was the invention of sliced bread by Gustav Papendick in 1928, although the phenomenon didn’t catch on immediately. Pre-sliced bread made it possible for children to make their own sandwiches.
- 1968 – The J.M. Smucker Co. introduced Goober, a jarred product that combined alternating vertical stripes of peanut butter and jelly.
- 1998 – Smuckers Patents “Uncrustables” Crimped PB&J Sandwiches. Another leap in premade sandwich technology by Smuckers.
- 2006 – This dancing banana meme has since received 29 million views on YouTube, and in 2019, experienced a revival of popularity when it was turned into a character in the popular video game “Fortnite.”
- 2007 – PB&Js are a league-wide locker room staple in the NBA, with each team having its own tradition.
- 2016 – A survey by Peter Pan found that Americans will eat an average of 2,984 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which works out to about three a month for roughly 83 years. Stack all of those sandwiches up and they’d be taller than the Statue of Liberty.
- 2019 – Forty-nine percent of those surveyed by Peanut Butter & Co. reported that they like their peanut butter smooth, while 29% prefer crunchy and 20% will happily eat both.
- According to the Peanut Board, peanut butter and jelly were staples in military rations during WWII, and the returning G.I.s helped popularize the sandwich.
- Peanut Butter was first invented by the Aztecs, who ground roasted peanuts into a rich nutritious paste.
- Studies show that there is a 75% chance that if you drop a slice of peanut-buttered bread, it will fall face down.
- 96% of people put peanut butter on before jelly.
- If you slather your PB&J with crunchy peanut butter, you’re in the minority.
- Personality-wise, Team Smooth is more introverted than Team Crunchy, according to the survey, as well as more punctual.
- 50 percent of all the peanuts grown around the world are used to make peanut butter.
- It is estimated that the average American schoolchild will have munched through 1500 Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches before they turn 18.
- An 18-ounce jar of peanut butter will contain about 850 peanuts.
- By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
- 94% of Americans have at least one jar of peanut butter at home so a PB&J is always at the ready.
- It was President George W. Bush’s favorite sandwich. In 2000, he admitted to Oprah that he loved them and then jumped up and down on her couch.
- Arachibutyrophobia is a documented fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Symptoms can include heart palpitations, nausea, sweating, tremors, and a “strong fight-or-flight response,” according to Healthline.
- 1,500 – the average number of PB&J sandwiches an American will eat before turning 18.
- 27% – the percentage of daily required fat in a PB&J sandwich.
- 22% – the percentage of daily required calories in a PB&J sandwich.
- 90% – the percentage by which a PB&J is more economical than a sandwich made with almond butter.
- 94% – the percentage of Americans who have at least one jar of peanut butter at home.
- 3,000 – the number of PB&J sandwiches that are eaten by an individual during their lifetime.
- 29% – the percentage of people who prefer crunchy peanut butter.
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