Peanuts

This passage is about the history and uses of peanuts.

Lexile Level: 1200L

Categories: History Science & Technology

You may have eaten them out of a bag at a baseball game or covered with chocolate and caramel in a candy bar. Perhaps you ate them ground into a smooth, sweet butter or cooked into a spicy Thai sauce. Peanuts are eaten in many forms and dishes around the world. Archaeologists have found evidence of peanut farming in ancient sites, proving that peanuts have been grown by people since before history was recorded. Oddly, since they come from the legume or pea and bean family, peanuts are not actually nuts. Did you know that they can be used to make ink, glue, soap, and even shaving cream? The American scientist and inventor George Washington Carver experimented with peanuts and documented over three hundred uses for them. Chief among these ideas was the process for making peanut butter by grinding the nuts very finely and adding sugar.