JORDI BRADSHAW | staff writer

From stew to peanut porridge, peanut butter is one fabulous snack.

You love peanut butter.

Even if you say you do not, it’s likely that somewhere deep inside you really do.

You aren’t alone. People have eaten, used and loved peanut butter for a long time.

Here’s the scoop.

Africans were grinding peanuts into a tasty stew as early as the 15th century. Chinese chefs have been making rich and creamy sauces out of peanuts for centuries. In America, Civil War soldiers dined on peanut porridge when they were fighting in the South.

Doesn’t that sound delicious?

In 1890, a St. Louis food company manufactured “peanut paste” as a source of protein for vegetarians and the toothless. I love the image of a toothless person smacking their gums on some rich and creamy peanut paste.

Peanut butter was officially named and famed at the 1904 World’s Fair when a vendor slapped some on a stick and advertised it as the “snack of the future”. The new snack was popular with fairgoers and a sweet and sticky love was born.

Today peanut butter can be found in 75% of American homes. Each year, the United States eats enough peanut butter to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon. That’s roughly three pounds per person.

While eating three pounds of peanut butter in one sitting may be pushing it, nutritionists often recommend eating one serving (two tablespoons) at a time.

“Peanut butter, in my opinion, is one of the best sports foods around,” sports nutritionist and expert dietician Dr. Nancy Clark said. “It’s tasty, inexpensive, satisfying, nourishing—and even good for our hearts.”

A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter has an average of 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein. Body-conscious people often worry that 16 grams of fat may be a stretch.

Fortunately, a good 80% of the fat contained in peanut butter is unsaturated. Unsaturated fat is the body’s most concentrated source of energy. It provides essential nutrients, fatty acids, and vitamins that help maintain skin and hair and can protect against heart disease, high blood pressure, adult onset diabetes, and breast cancer.

“Because you will never win the war against hunger, your best bet is to eat foods that keep you feeling fed,” Clark said.

Clark and I are not the only people who appreciate peanut butter. Former Olympic diver Greg Louganis once said, “To me, peanut butter is the breakfast of champions!”

Junior social work major Mary Suneetha agreed.

“I love that peanut butter is a universal dipping sauce- it can go with sweets, salty, snacks, fruits, and vegetables,” Suneetha said.

Besides eating it, peanut butter can be used as emergency shaving cream or axle grease (creamy only, please) and can be a great tool for removing cement glue or getting gum out of your hair.