Peanuts: seeds or legumes?

Peanuts are commonly referred to as dried fruit, but in reality they are legumes . They are in fact the seeds of a plant native to South America (for this reason too it is customary to call them "American peanuts"). Observing them well, in fact, we note that the shape of the peanuts is very similar to that of the beans and that they are contained in a small wrinkled pod .

Peanut cultivation occurs mainly in South America, but is also possible in Italy. The most valuable are imported from Israel.

How to eat peanuts

On the market we find peanuts in shell and shelled. The pods are collected and dried, so as to remove all the water and keep the oils intact.

Thanks to their content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, they can be transformed into peanut oil and peanut butter.

They are also excellent as an appetizing snack : toasted and salted, or in natural yet to be shelled, they can be easily transported and consumed at any time.

But be careful: peanuts have a high calorie content (almost 600 calories per 100 grams), which increases when they are in the form of butter or when they are salted, and even more when consumed as a crunchy.

Homemade peanut brittle

Peanut brittle is a sweet and easy to prepare even at home.

Ingredients

> 100 g of shelled peanuts, without skin and unsalted;

> 120 g of white sugar;

> a spoonful of honey;

> a tablespoon of lemon juice;

> 25 cc of natural water.

Preparation

Clean the peanuts and break them into two . If you prefer a finer crunchy, you can coarsely chop them with a kitchen knife or a mortar, but be careful not to reduce them to too thin a powder .

Then dissolve the sugar in the water and add the honey ; you can choose different types depending on the flavor you want to get.

Add the peanuts until the sugar is still hot and malleable, stir a couple of times with the flame on and then pour it over a short time on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The consistency must be dense, not liquid, so that it can be spread out and shaped with a spatula. Do not use your hands : the caramel melts at 130 degrees, you risk being burned badly.

Keep a layer of crunchy about a centimeter, sprinkle it with lemon juice and let it cool 4-6 hours, depending on the temperature of the environment. Once cold, it is ready to be cut with a knife and enjoyed .

Want to try a curious variant ? Just before it cools completely, drop a few crystals of pink salt on the surface: the sweet-salty contrast will amaze you.