In America they love it: they spread it on bread, eat it together with vegetables, jam and chocolate. There are those who eat it even alone as a reward for the palate.
Statistics show that the average American consumes even 1.5 kg per year. Did you understand what it is? I'm talking about peanut butter. Today we will shed some light on this food preparation, highlighting the nutritional properties and giving an answer to the question:
Can peanut butter be considered a genuine food like butter?
A bit of history
It is believed that peanut butter was invented by the ancient Inca peoples. The original peanut butter, however, had some compositional and structural differences compared to the more modern one: it was enriched with cocoa and was less spreadable and more grainy To facilitate its production, peanut butter is often mixed with a part of vegetable oil: the presence of the oil undoubtedly improves the spreadability of the product.
Nutritional analysis
Peanut butter provides about 588 Kcal / 100g, which comes from fat (51.4%), protein (25%), carbohydrates (19.6%). When made with coated peanuts of the integument, butter provides a lot of fiber (25g / 100g) More often, however, butter is made from peeled peanuts, so the amount of fiber is reduced to 6g / 100g.
- Peanut butter is a source of lipids half supplied by monounsaturated (including oleic acid). One third of the fats is polyunsaturated and the remaining 15% is made up of saturated fats.
- Vitamins: Vitamin B3, B5, B6, Vit. E and folic acid
- Mineral salts: Magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, sodium (of which, in natural peanuts, there are very low percentages)
- Resveratrol and polyphenols: an antioxidant substance abundantly present in wine. It is found in the peanut husk: when using peanuts coated with the “pellicina” (integument), the resulting butter also brings a certain amount of resveratrol.
- Arginine: peanuts represent one of the richest foods in arginine, an essential aa for growing children but not for adults (because the amino acid is synthesized in the liver and kidney). Arginine is a precursor of the acid nitric.
- Dietary fiber: peanuts provide 25 g of dietary fiber per 100 g of product
- P-coumaric acid, antioxidant
- Free of cholesterol but rich in lipids
- Peanuts are allergenic: many people show a more or less marked sensitivity towards peanut butter.
- Extremely caloric food: it provides 588 Kcal / 100 g
- Possible contamination with aflatoxins, secondary metabolites synthesized by some fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus. In any case, the frequent food analysis (quality control) during the production phases of peanut butter avert the danger.
- Presence of palmitic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid which is attributed a potential atherogenic and hypercholesterolemic effect, which negatively affects cardiovascular risk.
Conclusions
To the question "Can peanut butter be considered a genuine food like butter?"2 answers match:
- Yes, when prepared according to the traditional recipe (only with peanuts and minimal salt)
- No, when peanut butter is fortified with stabilizing additives and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to improve spreadability.
There are so many people who love peanut butter! Think that Elvis loved sandwiches made with peanut butter, bacon and banana! And Hemingway was also crazy about it: he stuffed the peanut butter and onion sandwich for a reason I have to be there?
Video of the Recipe
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Identity Card of the Recipe
- 582 KCal Calories per serving
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Ingrediants
- 200 g of peanuts
- 3 g of soy lecithin
- 1 teaspoon of honey or 5 g of brown sugar
- 4 g (2%) of salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Materials Needed
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
- High power blender
- Spatulas and spoons
- Jar with lid
Preparation
- Shell the peanuts, also depriving them of the covering skin (integument).
Did you know that
beneficial substances such as resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant, are hidden in the peanut integument. Those who wish can therefore blend the roasted peanuts together with the skins (previously removed) in order to increase the nutritional quality of the finished product.- Arrange the peanuts in a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and toast them at 160 ° C for 10 minutes.
- Allow the peanuts to cool completely.
- Distribute the peanuts in a high-powered blender and combine the brown sugar (or honey), lecithin (natural emulsifier that prevents phase separation) and salt. To facilitate blending, you can add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- To avoid altering the active ingredients, it is advisable to blend intermittently: by doing so, the overheating of the mass is prevented.
- Leave the peanut butter to cool in the refrigerator for at least half an hour: in this way, it will take on a thicker and creamier consistency.
Alice's comment - PersonalCooker
Do you know what I tell you? That Americans are right: peanut butter is a delicacy with a capital P! A pleasure to be granted from time to time, without exaggerating and keeping in mind its important calorific value.
Also try the homemade Margarine!Nutritional values and Health Comment on the recipe
Peanut Butter is a seasoning fat of vegetable origin. In addition to lipids (prevalent), it also contains substantial fractions of carbohydrates and proteins (of medium biological value); fiber is abundant. The average serving of Peanut Butter is the same as other seasoning fats, around 10-20g (60-120kcal).
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