Nutritious Peanuts

Peanuts are usually included in dry-fruits but actually peanuts are legumes. Legumes are pods, seeds, plants and fruits grown as pulses or grains.

Botanical names of legumes are Fabacease and Leguminosae. Sometimes legumes are grown as cattle forage and fertilizers to enrich the soil of agricultural fields. Some other common legumes are: tamarind, soybeans, carob, mesquite, clover, alfalfa, beans, peas and chickpeas.

Peanuts are rich in vitamins, minerals & other such nutrients. One hundred grams of peanuts contain 570 calories, 21 gram carbohydrates, 48 gram fats, 25 gram proteins, vitamins B-Complex, C, E, with minerals Magnesium, Manganese, Iron, phosphorus, Zinc, Potassium & Calcium.

In making of sweets, cakes, biscuits and several other bakery products, peanuts are used. Peanut butter is one of the favorite foods in some parts of the world. For cooking, peanut-oil is used in many regions. Production of peanuts is more than 40 million tonnes in the present day world and big producers are various regions in the continents of Asia, Africa and North America.

A crop of peanuts is usually harvested in three to four months. Sandy soil is most suitable for growing peanuts. Plants of peanuts are usually one-and-half feet tall, flowers are yellow to orange in colors and peanuts grow as pods or seeds of plants. In taste, peanuts are similar to the tastes of almonds or walnuts.

By: Ashraf Naushahi

(Educator, Writer, Book-Reviewer, Specialist in English Literature, Translator)