Question: Who invented peanut butter? – 5 year old in Alberta
Picture Credit: Kenneth Lehtinen
Answer: Believe it or not, according to the research team at the Huffington Post, peanut butter actually dates back to Aztec times when they mashed roasted peanuts into a paste. However; it was in fact a Canadian, Marcellus Gilmore Edson who developed peanut paste in 1884.
In 1895 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the creator of Kellogg’s cereal) patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts. He marketed it as a healthy protein substitute for patients without teeth.
In 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, Missouri, patented a peanut-butter-making machine. In 1922, chemist Joseph Rosefield invented a process for making smooth peanut butter that kept the oil from separating, and later in 1928, he licensed his invention to the creators of Peter Pan peanut butter. In 1932 Rosefield began producing his own peanut butter under the name Skippy.
Many people have credited George Washington Carver with the title of peanut-butter-inventor. However, it would appear that Carver did not invent peanut butter; but rather promoted more than 300 uses for peanuts.
A great peanut butter substitute for those of you with nut related allergies is a product called Wow Butter. This soy butter product is peanut free, tree-nut free, gluten-free, dairy free and egg free making it school safe and nutritious. You have to try it to believe it! Our family LOVES this product.
What are you favourite peanut butter or peanut butter alternative recipes for your kids?
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