The Origins Of Peanut Brittle Are As Varied As It’s Pieces

Updated March 22, 2024

National Peanut Brittle Day is observed on January 26. A hard, flat candy confection, peanut brittle is enjoyed throughout the United States.

• 1830s – It’s theorized that peanut brittle made its way to the U.S. through Irish settlers coming to live in the New World.
• 1890 – A woman in New England might have created peanut brittle by accidentally pouring baking soda into her taffy mix instead of cream of tartar.
• 1892 – The term brittle first appears in print in 1892.
• 19th Century – Peanut brittle made with corn syrups & nuts began appearing in cookbooks around the 19th century.
• 1900s – Some believe that peanut brittle originated in the American South. The fact that Civil War soldiers survived on peanuts because of its protein content, coupled with the Southern peanut farming boom in the 1900’s.
• 1915 – Samuel Sorensen Adams invented the snake peanut brittle can and the snake nut can, after pranking his wife by putting a cloth spring snake inside of a jar of jam.
• The history of peanut brittle is tied to Tony Beaver, a lumberjack folk hero. In the story, Tony Beaver creates peanut brittle when he stops a flood using peanuts and molasses.
• According to the history of peanut brittle candy, brittle was probably the first candy ever made.
• “Brittle”, a flat hardened sugar candy, is thought to be one of the first candies ever made.
• Because we find peanut brittle recipes most commonly in American cookbooks, it is generally recognized as an American recipe.
• Traditionally, brittle is a mixture of sugar and water is heated to the hard crack stage corresponding to a temperature of approximately 300 °F.
• In parts of the Middle East, brittle is made with pistachios, while many Asian countries use sesame seeds and peanuts.
• Rumor says that there’s enough mental stimulation in one peanut to produce 30 minutes of serious thinking. That may or may not be true, but peanuts are a good source of protein and the B vitamins, nutrients that help prevent “brain fatigue”
• Peanut butter/peanut paste is the leading use of peanuts produced in the U.S. (1/2); followed by snack nuts and in-shells (1/4); and, candy and confections (1/4).
• Peanuts are the #1 snack nut consumed in the U.S. Accounting for 2/3’s of the snack nut market.
• Five of the top 10 selling candy bars in the U.S. contain peanuts or peanut butter.
• Peanut oil is valued as premium cooking oil by cooks and chefs worldwide. Tasteless and odorless, peanut oil doesn’t transfer food flavors, has a very high smoke point (440 to 470† F.) and is high in the desirable mono-unsaturated fatty acids.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mobile-Cuisine

About Peanuts