Peanut butter is a favorite staple in the American diet, but uncovering who invented it was a little challenging. From sandwiches to candy bars and ice cream, it’s used in many recipes and seems like it’s been around forever. And that may very well be the case. We were curious, so we looked into who created it and why and came up with some intriguing facts and odd recipes. Ready to get a little nutty? Let’s dig in!
Researchers determined that the peanut plant probably originated in Peru or Brazil. And they can trace the butter back to the Ancient Incas and the Aztecs, who made a paste from the ground and roasted peanuts.
George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter.
John Harvey Kellogg’s patent in 1898 was the genesis of modern peanut butter. As a doctor and nutritionist, Kellogg opened and ran the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan.