This Country Grows The Most Peanuts In The World (And It's Not America)

The peanut feels very American. We had a peanut farmer for a president; the invention of peanut butter is often credited to an American; so it seems safe to guess that we grow the most peanuts in the world. That guess would be wrong — very wrong. The U.S. is only number four in the world when it comes to growing peanuts, with 2.5 million metric tons produced here in the latest finalized reporting of the worldwide production of the crop by World Population Review. The top producer, coming in at 18.3 million metric tons, is China.

Peanuts aren't even native to the U.S. A hybrid of two other plants, they were domesticated by ancient civilizations in the Andes long ago. The nut, which is technically a legume, was most likely introduced to China in the 1500s or 1600s by Spanish or Portuguese sailors who kept them on their ships as a hearty snack. They're a perfect choice for long voyages, as the peanut shells act as a natural container keeping them fresher for longer.

Thanks to an overwhelming demand at home, while China grows by far the most peanuts, it also imports the most. Of the four main peanut varieties, China grows the Spanish varietal, known at home as the Hsuji.

Ever since peanuts were introduced to the country, China has been producing many delicious dishes using the nuts. They're used in dishes in the Chinese regional Szechuan cuisine, where they're often added to fiery meals full of chiles and Szechuan peppercorns, such as kung pao chicken.

They can be found as a nuttier replacement for fried soybeans in the iconic Chinese dish Guilin rice noodles. This is a cheap and filling dish served on almost every block in Guilin, China. In Dali, you can find pounded peanuts sprinkled on a dish called lentil liangfen — a lentil jelly with veggies and a spicy, vinegary sauce. It's also incorporated into sauces like Fujianese peanut noodles (ban mian).