I was perusing the shelves of my local grocery store looking for a family standard in my household, that ultimate sandwich spread - peanut butter. I found a choice I truly had not known existed: natural peanut butter. Of course, there’s crunchy and there’s smooth, but natural? Hmmm… A quick check of the ingredients found that it contains only peanuts and salt. The jar notes that oil separation is natural - just stir and refrigerate. I purchased a jar of natural, a jar of crunchy (for the family) and a jar of smooth (for me)!

Peanut paste was most likely first concocted around 1890 (in the United States) by a physician searching for a vegetarian protein substitute for his patients who had few teeth and/or other mouth and jaw problems that negated them from chewing meats. He encouraged a food products company owner to produce the paste in larger quantities. George A. Bayle Jr. began processing and packaging peanut paste and selling it from barrels. The peanuts used for his paste were boiled and the flavor back then was not what it is today. Today peanuts are roasted or oil-roasted before being made into peanut butter.

So, what is the difference between peanut paste and peanut butter? INGREDIENTS. As stated above, the natural peanut pastes and natural peanut butters of today contain roasted peanuts and salt. Popular peanut butters use roasted peanuts and is churned with a minute amount of partially hydrogenated oil for smoothness and to extend its shelf life. The churning with partially hydrogenated oil also insures little or no oil separation. For the chunky version of peanut butter, rough-chopped, roasted peanuts are added into the final product right before packaging. The most popular brands of peanut butter today also supplement their flavors with sugars such as sucrose or dextrose and others use molasses, honey, or maple syrup.

Peanut butter is a significant source of protein, vitamin E, niacin, phosphorus and magnesium. Even better 80% of the fat in peanut butter is unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats have been found to help lower LDL-cholesterol levels in your blood. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich provides 18% of the daily recommended folic acid intake. Folic acid has been researched and results show that folic acid may reduce birth defects and some symptoms and forms of heart disease.

Try using peanut butters both natural and popular. Peanut butter sandwich combinations are as varied as the people who eat them. Elvis purportedly loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches on Texas Toast. Some people eat natural peanut butter with bologna or salami. Natural peanut butter sandwiches with apples slices and a drizzle of honey is a favorite in my home! Sometimes, nothing beats a good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But, remember, peanut butter is not just for sandwiches! Breakfast, entrees, soups, salads and desserts all benefit greatly in nutritional value and flavor by using peanut butter as a base!

The natural peanut butters are definitely a different taste than the popular peanut butters that have been churned. Be ready for a flavor adventure when you visit your local grocer and purchase a jar. Try not to judge your - peanut butter palate - too quickly. The natural peanut butter needs to be refrigerated and then, stirred before you measure it out for a sandwich or a side dish, etc., Pair a natural peanut butter with a sweet fruit compote and then, try it again with a slice of turkey or ham or in a vegetarian-inspired sandwich with greens, a few onion slices and a squeeze of lemon juice. Sound weird? Maybe. But the flavors and nutritional values are worth a bit of discovery!!