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In reply to the discussion: Peanut butter and jelly is "racist?" [View all]-..__...
(7,776 posts)80. Take it up with Wikipedia.
It's a crop that has it's origins in South America, was introduced in Africa by Portuguese slave traders, then
brought here.
The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), is a species in the legume or "bean" family (Fabaceae). The peanut was probably first domesticated and cultivated in the valleys of Paraguay.[1] It is an annual herbaceous plant growing 30 to 50 cm (1.0 to 1.6 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs; no terminal leaflet), each leaflet 1 to 7 cm (⅜ to 2¾ in) long and 1 to 3 cm (⅜ to 1 inch) broad.
The domesticated peanut is an amphidiploid or allotetraploid, meaning that it has two sets of chromosomes from two different species, thought to be A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. These likely combined in the wild to form the tetraploid species A. monticola, which gave rise to the domesticated peanut.[6] This domestication might have taken place in Paraguay or Bolivia, where the wildest strains grow today. Many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Moche, depicted peanuts in their art.[7]
Archeologists have dated the oldest specimens to about 7,600 years, found in Peru.[8] Cultivation spread as far as Mesoamerica where the Spanish conquistadors found the tlalcacahuatl (Nahuatl = "peanut", whence Mexican Spanish, cacahuate and French, cacahuète) being offered for sale in the marketplace of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). The plant was later spread worldwide by European traders.
Although the peanut was mainly a garden crop for much of the colonial period of North America, it was mostly utilized as animal feed stock until the 1930s.[9] In the United States, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program (see below) to encourage agricultural production and human consumption of peanuts was instituted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. George Washington Carver is well known for his participation in that program in which he developed hundreds of recipes for peanuts.
The domesticated peanut is an amphidiploid or allotetraploid, meaning that it has two sets of chromosomes from two different species, thought to be A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. These likely combined in the wild to form the tetraploid species A. monticola, which gave rise to the domesticated peanut.[6] This domestication might have taken place in Paraguay or Bolivia, where the wildest strains grow today. Many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Moche, depicted peanuts in their art.[7]
Archeologists have dated the oldest specimens to about 7,600 years, found in Peru.[8] Cultivation spread as far as Mesoamerica where the Spanish conquistadors found the tlalcacahuatl (Nahuatl = "peanut", whence Mexican Spanish, cacahuate and French, cacahuète) being offered for sale in the marketplace of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). The plant was later spread worldwide by European traders.
Although the peanut was mainly a garden crop for much of the colonial period of North America, it was mostly utilized as animal feed stock until the 1930s.[9] In the United States, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program (see below) to encourage agricultural production and human consumption of peanuts was instituted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. George Washington Carver is well known for his participation in that program in which he developed hundreds of recipes for peanuts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut
It is estimated that the Inca cultivated around seventy crop species. The main crops were potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, chili peppers, cotton, tomatoes, peanuts, an edible root called oca, and the pseudograins quinoa and amaranth. The crops developed by the Inca and preceding cultures makes South America one of the historic centers of crop diversity (along with the Middle East, India, Mesoamerica, Ethiopia, and the Far East). Many of these crops were widely distributed by the Spanish and are now important crops worldwide. Salsa was originated by the Inca people using tomatoes, chili peppers, and other spices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_society
Peanuts were first introduced to the Portuguese slave traders who took them to Africa and elsewhere around the world. African slaves then brought them to the US, which explains why the first names used were of the Congo origin (pindar and goober). But it was not until early in the 20th century that the popularity of the peanut began to soar. In 1904, at the St. Louis World Fair, peanut butter was seen for the first time and promoted as a health food. Children quickly adopted this idea, which should have immediately made parents suspicious. Since then, about half of the peanuts produced in the US goes into making peanut butter. George Washington Carver (1864-1943), a major promoter of the peanut, is credited with developing more than 300 different uses for the peanut. Born to Missouri slave parents, he graduated from the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now Iowa State University). He became a research director of the now Tuskegee University, where he experimented with and developed many uses for, the peanut. He continually urged cotton farmers to switch to growing peanuts for a cash crop.
Start of Page
Peanut Origins:
The common peanut has become so universally enjoyed throughout the world that most people never connect it with South America, its place of origin. The ancient Incas of Peru first cultivated wild peanuts and offered them to the sun god as part of their religious ceremonials. Their name for the peanut was ynchic
Peanut cultivation was also active in Ecuador as well as Bolivia and Brazil. The Brazilian peanut farmers were Indian tribal women who wouldn't allow the men to tend the plants, believing the plants would only produce peanuts under their own care.
Start of Page
Peanut Origins:
The common peanut has become so universally enjoyed throughout the world that most people never connect it with South America, its place of origin. The ancient Incas of Peru first cultivated wild peanuts and offered them to the sun god as part of their religious ceremonials. Their name for the peanut was ynchic
Peanut cultivation was also active in Ecuador as well as Bolivia and Brazil. The Brazilian peanut farmers were Indian tribal women who wouldn't allow the men to tend the plants, believing the plants would only produce peanuts under their own care.
http://www.mdidea.com/products/new/new06206.html
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That displays a concerning willingness to segregate toppings on your part
4th law of robotics
Sep 2012
#64
It's because peanut butter was invented by George Washington Carver, a black man...
porphyrian
Sep 2012
#4
Well, I will still give the nod to Carver for ensuring my favorite legume was popularized...
hlthe2b
Sep 2012
#78
The Incas didn't have peanuts. They are an African crop that came to the new world
kestrel91316
Sep 2012
#79
I'm stunned, lol. My entire life I thought the plant originated in Africa.
kestrel91316
Sep 2012
#86
The Portland Tribune?!?!? That's a weekly rag, owned by the same guy who owns
Bluenorthwest
Sep 2012
#28
and in a true example of bipartisanship, the democrats at DU jump on the bandwagon.
HiPointDem
Sep 2012
#33
I think that was half of the principal's point: to start a conversation with the students
petronius
Sep 2012
#20
it's not her fault, privilege theory is all the rage now among social-justice types
BOG PERSON
Sep 2012
#21
"Anything and anyone who calls themselves a democrat, yet I still don't like"
LanternWaste
Sep 2012
#48
Peanut butter and jelly is emblematic of the worst aspects of white privilege,
Nye Bevan
Sep 2012
#26
Huffington quoting the right wing weekly...publisher owns a right wing radio station
Bluenorthwest
Sep 2012
#30
More education deform fallout. The schools in the article are targeted for closing; the equity
HiPointDem
Sep 2012
#31
Yes, jelly is, but jam isn't...so have a peanut butter and jam sandwich instead...
joeybee12
Sep 2012
#40
Oh for fuck's sake...we have enough REAL problems with racism without making up this bullshit.
Hugabear
Sep 2012
#47
Actually, the principal implied that Americans eat PB&J, and non-Americans don't
muriel_volestrangler
Sep 2012
#88
Would it make a difference if I use Nutella? It's darker and tastes like chocolate. . .
cherokeeprogressive
Sep 2012
#87