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Substrates

Peanuts

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Peanuts are the edible seeds of Arachis hypogaea, a cultivated legume. They are eaten whole, roasted and ground, and peanut oil-press cake is a separate byproduct used in some fermentations.

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Two whole peanut pods and an open pod containing two red-skinned kernels sit beside red-skinned and peeled kernels on a warm ivory surface.

The plant and its food forms

A peanut is the seed of Arachis hypogaea, a legume. Kew's Plants of the World Online accepts the name and lists the species as a cultigen, a plant known from cultivation. The National Parks Board of Singapore gives its common names as peanut and groundnut.

Whole peanuts, roasted peanuts, ground peanuts, peanut butter and peanut oil-press cake are related but different foods. Oil-press cake is what remains after the oil is pressed out, and the fermentation evidence reviewed here concerns that byproduct, not the whole seed. A recipe that says peanuts needs to be read for which of these forms it means.

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Native range and spread

Kew gives Bolivia as the native range of the species, and the National Parks Board describes a South American native distribution. Both are botanical statements. Neither locates a domestication site precisely or names the people who first ate the seed, and neither dates the first food use.

Where a regional food uses peanuts, this entry records that use as documented, not as evidence that the food began in that place.

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Oil-press cake in fermentation

A peer-reviewed review of oncom fermentation describes traditional black oncom made in Java with peanut oil-press cake as its substrate. The review documents the microbial ecology of the fermentation. The product is made from the pressed cake, not from whole peanuts, and that difference matters for any recipe that names peanuts as its substrate.

Okinawan jimami-dofu is a different case. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries records it as a peanut-and-starch preparation. It is not fermented, so it does not belong with the oncom evidence.

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Roasting, grinding and taste

Roasting develops the roasted aroma that most people associate with peanuts and changes their flavour. The degree of roast, the skin, added salt and other ingredients all change how a product tastes, so no single taste profile describes peanuts as a food.

Grinding changes texture as well. A freshly ground roasted peanut preparation can stay more granular than a smooth peanut butter, and how fine the grind goes depends on the cook or the producer.

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Allergy and aflatoxin

The US Food and Drug Administration lists peanuts among the major food allergens. People with peanut allergy need clear labelling and protection from cross-contact in shared kitchens and processing lines.

The FDA also lists peanuts among crops susceptible to aflatoxins, which are toxins made by some moulds that grow on crops. Neither the smell nor the taste of a batch shows whether aflatoxins are present, and these sources propose no home limit or test. Peanuts used in any preparation need to come from a supplier who manages this risk.

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Places

Bolivia

Documented use · Country evidence

Botanical native-range listing for a cultigen, not a precise domestication claim.

See Boliviaon the mapLocation source 1 →

Java

Traditional use · Region evidence

The fermentation uses peanut oil-press cake.

See Javaon the mapLocation source 1 →

Okinawa

Documented use · Region evidence

Jimami-dofu is a peanut-and-starch dish, not a fermented product.

See Okinawaon the mapLocation source 1 →

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