Take a drive down any sleepy two-lane highway in the South in late summer or fall and you'll likely eventually hit a boiled peanut stand. It's typically a small, informal operation that centers around a big, steamy, boiling pot or cauldron. The stand may also offer a few other treats like hot pork skins or fresh local produce. Some may even sell boiled peanuts in various flavors — cajun, ham, and dill seem to be popular — but for the most part, they keep it simple, just the way I like it. And no matter what the set-up looks like, going for a visit isn't just a stop to get some snacks — it's an experience.
When you break into one of those salty, juicy peanut shells and devour its contents, you get a side of culture and nostalgia. Every boiled peanut I eat takes me back to my childhood, riding around on back roads with my mom, driving to my grandmother's house, or checking out the local yard sales. It takes me back to long road trips to the North Georgia Mountains or some beach in Florida and every fall festival or fair I ever attended.
Nothing says summer in the South like boiled peanuts purchased from a roadside stand. When properly prepared, these fleshy delicacies combine the tastes of the sun, soil, and a hint of the sea. Georgia grows half of the nation's peanuts. Connoisseurs strive to consume each one. pic.twitter.com/wLK4Uoa4xz
— Tommy Barton (@IAmNotOldNews) July 1, 2018
Last month, I wrote about how okra isn't really beloved outside of the South, and several of our readers chimed in and asked me to "do boiled peanuts next," so I thought I might oblige, even though I never intended on making this a series. What I didn't realize is that just like okra, many yankees find boiled peanuts to be "slimy," "mushy," and "disgusting." I guess some of this has to do with availability. The ideal boiled peanut comes from a green version of the crop, meaning they're fresh out of the ground and haven't dried out yet. Due to the long growing season and the fact that peanuts thrive in warm, humid climates, there just aren't a lot of green ones up north.
Down here in my neck of woods, they're a delicacy. Many people really call it the "caviar of the South."
Related: Summer in the South: A Controversial Crop With Deep Roots and a Complicated Story
But some of that has to do with history, too. Like okra, peanuts came to North America via the African slave trade, but peanuts didn't originate in Africa. They're actually a South American crop that most likely came from Peru or Brazil. According to the National Peanut Board, "As early as 1500 B.C., the Incans of Peru used peanuts as sacrificial offerings and entombed them with their mummies to aid in the spirit life. Tribes in central Brazil also ground peanuts with maize to make a drink."
European explorers discovered them and took them back home, and the crop spread throughout Africa and Asia. West Africans finally introduced them to what is now the United States, and by the 19th century, peanuts were a commercial crop in the U.S., specifically in Virginia.
As for boiled peanuts themselves, we can most likely thank West Africans for that, too. Boiling certain legumes was a popular part of their cuisine, and like many Southern staples, slaves most likely introduced this concept to the region. The National Peanut Board says that when there was a surplus crop, those who worked the fields got to have a "peanut boil" to celebrate.
During the Civil War, when food rations, like bread and meat, ran low, soldiers would often roast or boil peanuts over an open fire. The old folk song "Goober Peas" actually refers to soldiers eating boiled peanuts.
Sitting by the roadside on a summer day,
Chatting with my messmates, passing time away,Lying in the shadow underneath the trees,
Goodness, how delicious, eating Goober Peas!
Chorus:
Peas! peas! peas! peas! eating Goober Peas!
Goodness how delicious, eating Goober Peas!
2. When a horseman passes, the soldiers have a rule,
To cry out at their loudest, 'Mister, here's your mule!'
But another pleasure enchantinger than these,
Is wearing out your grinders, eating Goober Peas!
Chorus
3. Just before the battle the Gen'ral hears a row,
He says, 'The Yanks are coming, I hear their rifles now.'
He turns around in wonder, and what do you think he sees?
The Georgia Militia - eating Goober Peas!
Chorus
4. I think my song has lasted almost long enough,
The subject's interesting, but rhymes are mighty rough,
I wish this war was over, when free from rags and fleas,
We'd kiss our wives and sweethearts and gobble Goober Peas!
Chorus
By 1899, the first known recipe for boiled peanuts appeared in a cookbook called "The Guide for Nut Cookery" by Almeda Lambert, and by the early 20th century, boys were selling boiled peanuts in South Carolina for 5 cents per bag. In 2006, South Carolina declared them the state's "official snack food."
Unfortunately, they're not that cheap now, but they're still an inexpensive snack that doesn't require a lot of effort. All you need are peanuts, water, and salt. But somehow, making them yourself at home just isn't quite the same as getting them straight from some old man on side of the road who looks like he might have fought for the Confederacy himself.
These days, you can find boiled peanuts in numerous places across the South — convenience stores and gas stations, the concession stand at a football game, festivals, fairs, and farmer's markets. You can even find them in a can on some grocery store shelves. I don't think I've ever eaten them that way, and I don't think I want to try. Around the world, they're a popular street food in various countries in West Africa and Central and South America.
Shout out to Michael Meaders from Cleveland, Georgia, who has been collecting change at his peanut stand to cover lunch debts for students in need. Thanks to his efforts over the years, he has been able to donate nearly $16,000 to his local schools.🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/9JOHggNt3y
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) August 14, 2024
Here in my home state of Georgia, boiled peanuts are practically a religion. Then again, we do grow over half of the country's peanut crop. When my mom and I used to grab some on side of the road, she'd always stop by a gas station and get an icy cold Coca-Cola to go with them. Before she drank it, she'd throw a few peanuts into the bottle, another old Southern tradition. My research tells me that this is called a "farmer's Coke" and dates back to the 1920s when farmers and other blue collar workers would do it so they could eat peanuts without washing their hands. I'm not sure they used boiled peanuts, but my mom sure did love that combination.
Putting peanuts in a Coke is a Southern tradition pic.twitter.com/jiAA7YAG3m
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) August 5, 2018
And just like that, I'm craving boiled peanuts.
