Peanut

China has become the world's leading producer of peanuts, devoting several million hectares to this crop. India is the world's second largest producer in a market in which the United States, Nigeria, Argentina and Indonesia also participate. The peanut plant needs a warm climate and lots of sunlight, being very sensitive to frost. Peanut planting in China takes place between May and April, and harvesting takes place approximately 130 days after planting. Production yields vary greatly depending on the country, the variety and the climate. Currently, the largest peanut producing areas in China are Qingdao, Jilin and Lioning. Each of them produces a different variety of peanut. China exports and imports large quantities of this dried fruit. The Chinese peanut in exports is consumed as a snack, while in China it is consumed as oil.

The peanut is a highly appreciated dried fruit: it is a natural source of protein; it contains a high percentage of unsaturated fats and favorable phytosterols to lower cholesterol; it is very rich in Vitamin E and provides minerals such as sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, iodine, copper and calcium; provides antioxidant substances that prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases; contains folic acid, a substance recommended in pregnancy; and it is a very nutritious food. For all these properties, the peanut is included in the gastronomy of many cultures. The peanut or groundnut is consumed as a snack or appetizer with shell or peeled, natural, salted, fried or roasted. It is a common ingredient in confectionery, pastry and ice cream, in the form of caramelized, nougat, pralines, biscuits and ice cream. Peanut cream or butter is also prepared with this fruit, and its oil is used in Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine. In addition, the roasted peanut bean is used as a substitute for coffee. Peanut production in Argentina is grown mainly in Chaco, Misiones and Córdoba. In the central semi-arid region of the province of Córdoba, 98% of Argentine peanut production, storage, marketing and industrialization are concentrated.

The peanut is of American origin, from the tropical part of South America, probably from Brazil, where some species grow wild. From these regions the Indians spread it across the American continent to Peru to the west and to Mexico to the north. In the 16th century, the Spanish colonizers introduced it to Europe and later took it to Africa and Asia (Indonesia, China and India). These Asian countries currently produce about two-thirds of the world's harvest. The peanut, groundnut or Arachis hypogaea belongs to the legume family. It is a fibrous herbaceous plant, family of peas, which reaches between 30 and 50 cm. Tall. The fruits grow underground, inside a rounded woody pod containing two to five seeds. As its fruit is a woody shell without pulp, it is considered a type of dried fruit. In Brazil, peanuts are grown mainly in the southern, northwestern and northern regions of the country, and also in the Cibao. Its cultivation is of great socioeconomic importance in these areas due to the number of producers who depend on peanuts to survive.

The peanut plant needs a warm climate and lots of sunlight, being very sensitive to frost. Approximately 90% of the peanut production in Turkey is grown in the Mediterranean region. The peanut is a highly appreciated dried fruit: it is a natural source of protein; it contains a high percentage of unsaturated fats and phytosterols; it is very rich in Vitamin E and provides minerals such as sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, iodine, copper and calcium; antioxidant substances and folic acid.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the peanut was not widely cultivated in the United States, as cultivation and harvesting techniques were slow and difficult, and it was also considered a food for the poor. Until the Civil War, the peanut was basically a food of the American South. However, technical improvements after the war fueled the expansion of the peanut industry and increased demand for peanut oil, butter, snack foods and confectionery. The American peanut is grown in seven US states: Georgia, which leads production with 41%, Texas, with 24%, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Oklahoma. The American peanut comes in 4 basic types: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. Each of the varieties are different in size and flavor. In the United States, peanuts have various presentations: as flour, as oil, as butter or as a snack. Peanuts are a fundamental ingredient in American baking. The peanut industry continues to invest in modernizing its plants and in equipment for cleaning, shelling and classifying peanuts to ensure that all buyers receive the best product possible.