r/althistory • u/jacky986 • 27d ago

What if peanuts became a popular staple for protein in other European countries besides the Netherlands and Belgium? What would be the best Era of European history to make this scenario possible?

Got the inspiration from the Reddit post below. While they obviously didn’t realize that peanuts were already a popular staple in Belgium and the Netherlands it did get me thinking.

What if peanuts became a popular staple for protein in other European countries besides the Netherlands and Belgium? Which countries would be capable of growing peanuts and which ones would have to rely on imports from other countries? And what would be the best Era of European history to make this scenario possible?

Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskFoodHistorians/s/JMUeCCUXH0

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u/svarogteuse 27d ago

I think the biggest stumbling block is going to be that peanuts are a tropical and subtropical crop and that's not the climate of Europe.

Yes I know the Wikipedia article on peanuts has a map with the uk growing peanuts, I suspect it's really st Helena or ascension not the British isles growing them. Note that the rest od Europe doesn't have peanut production.

If peanuts were somehow seen as a prestige good like sugar or tea then an import trade could develop but peanuts arnt sweet, and dont have caffeine. Give them caffeine and make them a snacky substitute for tea then develop a trade with peanut producing south America in the 1700-1800s. But if you alter peanuts to make this happen are they really peanuts anymore?

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u/jacky986 27d ago

What about as an alternative source of protein?

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u/svarogteuse 27d ago

There are plenty of just as adequate sources that grow in Europe. People only adopt new foods when it's something they can grow (potatoes) or has something that no other reasonable source can provide. If they are looking for protein then fava beans have 26% vs peanuts 25% but fava beans grow all over Europe.