Growing up in the American South means that you’ve probably come across boiled peanuts — pronounced “bowled” peanuts, depending on your drawl. You can find them at a worn-down gas station at midnight, a pop-up stand at the local farmer’s market, or even a fusion of these locations. Boiled peanuts are a simple dish where all you do is toss green peanuts (i.e. raw peanuts) in boiling water and pop them from the softened shells once they’re strained. This process usually involves a lot of salt, but the creative potential for broth and seasoning is limitless.
Boiled peanuts weren’t always such a phenomenon. In fact, they were once a food for basic survival. The first people known to boil peanuts in the United States were enslaved people from West Africa and their descendants, who brought culinary techniques from their home countries. Peanuts were something they grew for themselves that could be eaten raw, roasted, or boiled. These traditions passed through the generations and still have a place in Black Southerners’ soul food today. However, the history of how the peanut gained such popularity in the South is a longer story.
How peanuts made their way around the world
Peanuts aren’t native to the United States, Africa, or even China, the largest producer of peanuts in the world. The legumes are originally from South America, and they were taken to Europe by the Spanish centuries ago. Through Portuguese traders, peanuts then spread to Asia and Africa, where they thrived in the soil and warm climate. In West Africa, peanuts shared similarities with the native groundnut crop and, as a result, became a part of the local cuisine before arriving in the United States.
Although boiled peanuts can be traced to African American cooking, the dish’s popularity is sometimes attributed to Confederate soldiers, as boiled peanuts were a novelty to most White Americans during the Civil War. Plain peanuts were a seasonal snack enjoyed by Confederate soldiers who struggled with food rations, and the “Goober Peas” song detailed this history, praising the delicious taste of peanuts. These goober peas exploded in popularity after the Civil War, and it took until the early 1900s for boiled peanuts to be featured in the news.
Boiled peanuts have evolved from being a humble food to becoming an integral part of the American food landscape, and their history is as deep as the South itself. They can even be fused with other foods like Thai peanut sauce or West African peanut stew, adding a salty soft kick. Today, boiled peanuts are a comfort snack meant to be enjoyed with friends, and they’re easy enough to find at a gas station.
