# An ingredient question for UK Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653 "2011-01-23T15:04:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/1 "2011-01-23T15:04:29Z")
I have a candy and confection cookbook from England. One item mentioned is “ground nut oil”, often used for greasing pans. Is this peanut oil, as we US folks would call it, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/2 "2011-01-23T15:05:48Z")
Yes it is. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/3 "2011-01-23T16:11:58Z")
ONe minute for an answer! Thanks so much! I love this board. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/4 "2011-01-23T17:20:33Z")
Off topic, but gotta ask…what yummies are you cooking up now? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/5 "2011-01-23T18:14:02Z")
Appropriate username win. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/6 "2011-01-23T18:22:50Z")
Is this just a UK thing? Because I’m sure I heard someone from another place use the term ‘ground nuts’ before I heard it from there. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/7 "2011-01-23T18:30:52Z")
I’m in the UK and I’ve only ever heard the term ‘ground nuts’ used by Americans on this board. Also by psychopathic misandrists with mincers. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/8 "2011-01-23T18:45:43Z")
I have a bottle of “groundnut oil” from Sainsbury’s. I also have a bottle of “peanut oil” from Aldi. Could it be that it’s called that because of negative associations with peanuts? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/9 "2011-01-23T18:47:39Z")
What negative associations? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/10 "2011-01-23T18:57:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > What negative associations? Allergies. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/11 "2011-01-23T18:59:59Z")
Some Africans and Caribbeans say groundnuts. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/12 "2011-01-23T19:03:09Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Allergies. Oh, yeah. I grew up before peanut allergies existed ( 😉 ), so they’re not much on my radar. > [@spark240](#): > > Some Africans and Caribbeans say groundnuts. It’s possible I heard it in connection with African cuisine. . ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/13 "2011-01-24T01:53:02Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Off topic, but gotta ask…what yummies are you cooking up now? 🙂 I’m going to make some candies from a book titled Life Is Sweet. It’s from a line of sweet shops in the UK called Hope and Greenwood. I’d never heard of them, being an American, but the book turned up being donated to our library booksale. Just about everything in it looks absolutely nummy. The recipe titled Coconut Ice looks like a recipe for those coconut candies in Neapolitan colors that Brach’s makes. And there’s a recipe called Cinder Toffee that’s supposed to be textured like the inside of Violet Crumble. I had some of that in an international candy exchange on the Dope, several years ago. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/14 "2011-01-24T09:19:59Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I have a bottle of “groundnut oil” from Sainsbury’s. I also have a bottle of “peanut oil” from Aldi. > > Could it be that it’s called that because of negative associations with peanuts? I’d imagine that any possible public image benefits arising from people not knowing that groundnuts are peanuts would be negated by the first fatality caused by someone not knowing that groundnuts are peanuts. 😃 I always assumed that the name had some connection to [the Groundnut Scheme,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_groundnut_scheme) which was partly sold on the vast range of commercial uses for the humble monkey nut, cooking oil being only one. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/15 "2011-01-24T09:22:56Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > And there’s a recipe called Cinder Toffee that’s supposed to be textured like the inside of Violet Crumble. Sounds like [sponge toffee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_toffee), or “honeycomb” as it’s also known. Or, apparently, hokey-pokey to Kiwis. It’s \*really \*fun to make. Be aware that not every groundnut is a peanut, there are other subterranean legume varieties in Africa called that which rock up in ethic cooking. But in a recipe book, I’d expect them to mean peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/16 "2011-01-24T09:43:12Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I’m in the UK and I’ve only ever heard the term ‘ground nuts’ used by Americans on this board. I heard Nigella Lawson use the term yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/17 "2011-01-24T11:40:22Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > I’d imagine that any possible public image benefits arising from people not knowing that groundnuts are peanuts would be negated by the first fatality caused by someone not knowing that groundnuts are peanuts. 😃 :smack: oh yeah. > [@Baker](#): > > I’m going to make some candies from a book titled Life Is Sweet. It’s from a line of sweet shops in the UK called Hope and Greenwood. I’d never heard of them, being an American, but the book turned up being donated to our library booksale. Just about everything in it looks absolutely nummy. If you liked that, you’ll love [The Green & Blacks Chocolate Book](http://www.greenandblacks.com/us/recipes/recipe-book.html). I have this; every recipe is a winner (apart from the chocolate raspberry torte which turned out foul both times I made it). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/18 "2011-01-24T12:20:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Or, apparently, hokey-pokey to Kiwis. Damn right. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/19 "2011-01-24T12:58:42Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I’m in the UK and I’ve only ever heard the term ‘ground nuts’ used by Americans on this board. > Also by psychopathic misandrists with mincers. Delia mentions “groundnut oil” in a number of her recipes, it’s her default cooking oil as she reckons the flavour of it doesn’t overpower whatever you cook in it, unlike other oils. Hence I’ve been using it for years. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653/20 "2011-01-24T19:35:27Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Delia mentions “groundnut oil” in a number of her recipes, it’s her default cooking oil as she reckons the flavour of it doesn’t overpower whatever you cook in it, unlike other oils. Hence I’ve been using it for years. It can also handle much higher temperatures than olive oil. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ingredient-question-for-uk-dopers/568653.md?page=2)