Comparing Pine Nuts and Peanuts

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and Pine nuts (Pinus edulis) sound similar and look similar but they come from very different plants. Of course, peanuts are much more well-known than pine nuts. Peanuts are native to Peru and Bolivia around the foothills of the Andean mountain range. Now they are grown across the world. In 2014 more than 42 tonnes of peanuts were sold around the world. In the U.S., roughly 67% of nut consumption belongs to peanuts (if peanut butter is included). Peanuts are arguably the most widely harvest nut on the planet however, they are different than many other nuts that are familiar to Americans.

A. hypogaea belongs to the family Fabaceae. They are legumes that which grow seed pods underground as the mature ovary extends downward away from the plant and into the soil. Other nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans grow on trees. Another reason these nuts are odd is that cultivated peanut plants are actually a hybrid of A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. A random duplication event of the chromosomes is the only reason that the hybrid is viable.

Peanuts make for good crops because as with plants in the Fabaceae family they have nitrogen fixing nodules on their roots. They can also be cultivated with no more than 300 mm of rainfall per year. However, crop yield is substantially higher with around 500 mm of water. They are also highly dependent on warm weather. Additionally, the growing cycle can take 5 months.

While A. hypogaea resembles its related members in the legume family, the peanut itself has a nutritional profile that is more similar to almonds and walnuts. However, the taste of peanuts is slightly stronger than most other nuts of similar popularity. Peanuts can be eaten plain, salted, made into oil for cooking, made into peanut butter, or in the south of the U.S. boiled. The biggest flaw of peanuts, however, is that many people have severe allergies to them.

Botanically speaking Pine nuts are very different from peanuts. Pine nuts, as the name suggests, come from Pine trees. They are the mature seed that develops in a pine cone. Pine trees belong to the family Pinaceae which are gymnosperm trees that are native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. There are only around 20 species of pine trees that produce seeds large enough to be worth collecting. In the U.S., the most commonly harvested species is the Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis).

Pine nuts have been eaten since the Paleolithic period in Europe and Asia and have become a part of many traditional recipes in these regions. Italians use pine nuts in pesto sauce, Spaniards use pine nuts in marzipan, and Middle Eastern baklava also relies on pine nuts. In North America pine nuts are most frequently used to accompany meat or salads for texture, or it is occasionally baked into bread. In the southwest of the U.S. it is even used to make pine nut coffee. Pine nuts have a smooth exterior and are relatively soft for a nut and have a slight metallic taste too. They are rich in protein and healthy fats. Unfortunately pine nuts are quite expensive. Two cups of pine nuts can be 15 dollars.

In North America pine nuts are mostly harvested by Native Americans that have agreements with the American government that ensure that they can do so. Pine nuts are so expensive because they are not exactly easy to manage as a crop species. They should be planted with a few meters between conspecifics to ensure that wind flow can help pollinate them. Otherwise self-pollinated plants will produce poor seed quality. Additionally, the pinyon pine is adapted to altitudes of around 7000 feet where the snow doesn’t melt early in the year. This allows the pine to use the water from the snowpack around it to nourish itself. Also, the pinyon pine prefers shaded canyons where air moisture is contained in the canyon meaning the seeds don’t dry out pre-maturely.

I am a big fan of both pine nuts and peanuts. One of my favorite meals that my parents make is noodles with smoked salmon, lemon juice, and pine nuts. I will also eat peanut butter with a spoon without shame if hungry enough.

Text Sources

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/growing_edible_pine_nuts_in_michigan

http://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/190958

https://www.gun.ovh/War/en/Pine_nut#cite_note-5

https://www.google.com/search?q=price+of+pine+nuts&rlz=1C5ACMJ_enUS521CA568&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5qZzdhf7aAhUEMt8KHdZYBoAQsxgIKA&biw=1280&bih=726

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2437758?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

http://www.peanut-institute.org/peanut-facts/

https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/peanuts.html

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/10/peanuts-come/

Image Sources

https://www.whitleyspeanut.com/funfacts

https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/eat-peanuts-live-longer/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/12199085015

https://www.cookstr.com/Side-Dishes/Creamed-Spinach-with-Pine-Nuts