liberation of vanillin from the shell.
In the United States, four varieties are
grown for different purposes: large Virginia
and small Valencia for nuts sold in the shell,
Virginia and small Spanish for mixed nuts and
candies, and Runner for baked goods and
peanut butter, since its higher content of
monounsaturated fat makes it less vulnerable
to rancidity.
Peanut Butter The modern version of peanut
butter was apparently developed around 1890
in St. Louis or in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Commercial peanut butter is made by heating
the nuts to an internal temperature around
300ºF/150ºC to develop flavor, blanching in
hot water to remove the skin, and finally
grinding them with about 2% salt and up to
6% sugar. The oil can be prevented from
separating from the solid peanut particles by
adding 3–5% of a hydrogenated shortening
that solidifies as the butter cools and forms a