This Salty Canned Snack Has Deep Southern Roots

Facts

This Salty Canned Snack Has Deep Southern Roots

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Pull off any highway in Georgia or the Carolinas during late summer, and you'll encounter roadside stands advertising boiled peanuts . Steam rises from enormous kettles while vendors ladle the sodden legumes into paper bags. The snack is also sold in cans by brands like Peanut Patch and Plantation. You can even find generic versions, like this 6-pound can of Cajun boiled peanuts that sells on Amazon for about $20. This humble Southern comfort food carries centuries of history and cultural exchange.

Evidence suggests that the practice of boiling peanuts originated in West Africa, where enslaved people brought knowledge of preparing similar legumes to the American South.