[Sca-cooks] Peanuts are New World?

[Johnna Holloway]

"PEANUTS
(Arachis hypogaea), also widely called "groundnuts," originated between southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. In pre-Columbian times, they were found throughout Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Early in the sixteenth century, European explorers transported them to Africa and Asia. From the beginning, peanuts were ground into paste and used as a flavoring in soups, stews, and other dishes.
Through the slave trade, peanuts were introduced into the British North American colonies. Slaves grew peanuts in their gardens and introduced them into mainstream cookery. Hand-ground peanuts appeared as an ingredient in American recipes by the 1830s."


See: Smith, Andrew F. Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002.

SOURCE:
Smith, Andrew F. "Peanut Butter." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Ed. Solomon H. Katz. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 56-57. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
Johnnae

On Oct 14, 2013, at 4:56 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Cariadoc posted on the SCA FB group, where there is some discussion of Old World/New World foods and the demo game:
> <<< Peanuts are from the New World. Some early sources thought they were African, but apparently that's because the Portuguese introduced them to West Africa early and they caught on. >>>
> 
> I thought myself, from discussion here I thought, that peanuts came from Africa with the black slaves.
> Can someone give me a more comprehensive description? Something I can add to the Florilegium?
> 
> Since I often have trouble coming up with 10 New World foods for the demo game, maybe I'll add peanuts. :-)
> 
> Thanks,
>   Stefan