# Bitter peanut nibs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840 "2019-07-29T23:33:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/1 "2019-07-29T23:33:20Z")
As a callow youth I recall a commercial for a peanut company (Planters? Fisher?) where they advertised they had better peanut products because they removed the ‘bitter nibs’. As such, I always removed the nibs from my peanuts before consuming them. Until a few weeks ago, when I finished off a can of Carolina peanut company sriracha ranch peanuts and discovered a pile of nibs at the bottom. Hunger and curiosity got the best of me, and I ate 'em. Only to discover they tasted just like mini peanuts. No bitterness, no off notes. Anybody else remember the commercial, and avoid nibs as a result? Anyone else savor these tiny peanut within a peanut treats? Anybody even know what I’m talking about? Especially me? Damn, I meant to put this in Cafe Society. I shall summon a mod. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/2 "2019-07-29T23:44:15Z")
[So THAT’S What That Little Nub Is Inside A Peanut](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/peanuts-embryo-nub_n_56d4a305e4b03260bf77b808) Never saw the commercial but I knew just what you were talking about. I always ate 'em. Didn’t know they were supposed to be bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/3 "2019-07-30T00:01:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I finished off a can of Carolina peanut company sriracha ranch peanuts :eek: And lived to tell the tale. I salute you, sir: sriracha ranch peanuts sounds like some kind of bizarre took-a-dare-while-drunk concoction. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/4 "2019-07-30T00:21:20Z")
Never once heard the embryo part of a seed called a “nib”, or heard that the embryo of a peanut is supposed to be in any way culinarily different from the rest of the peanut. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/5 "2019-07-30T00:27:06Z")
I don’t recall a commercial, but it’s been mentioned on “How it’s Made” and similar shows. This isn’t the one I remember, but it’s mentioned at the 1:20 minute mark [- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whW1s6Tcin0) It’s called the “heart” of the peanut, and apparently they’re sent off for birdseed. It doesn’t sound like it’s all that bitter, but probably enough to throw off the taste of peanut butter a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/6 "2019-07-30T00:40:23Z")
Ah, peanut fetuses, not nibs. OK, but I think I’ll still call it a ‘nib’. And that’s a nice confirmation that the nibs are removed and have a ‘slightly bitter’ taste. Tasted fine to me, honestly. And thanks! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/7 "2019-07-30T00:57:06Z")
**Moderator Action** > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Damn, I meant to put this in Cafe Society. I shall summon a mod. Since you have performed the summoning ritual properly, I shall move the thread from GQ to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/8 "2019-07-30T11:45:37Z")
It was for peanut butter, not whole peanuts. One of the name brands like Skippy or Jif. Googling turns up nada. I eat peanuts quite a bit and I can just barely taste the “bitter” difference in the nibs. (They do have other differences in flavor.) And I’m a supertaster. But not all people have the same range of taste capabilities. Presumably there are some out there who can quite clearly notice them. Why a peanut butter manufacturer in the 60s would care about a few consumers is odd. I think it most probably was just marketing hype. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/9 "2019-07-30T12:02:02Z")
I used to work for the company that produced Skippy (the company has since sold it). I was told that the nibs from the peanuts were bitter, though I never noticed. I think that there was consumer testing that supported that. During processing the nibs tend to get separated and fall through small holes in the conveyor belt, as shown in the How It’s Made video above. We didn’t do anything special to eliminate the nibs or to save the nibs. They were just treated like waste. Most of the peanut butter facility waste was sold to local pig farmers for feed. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/10 "2019-07-30T12:25:57Z")
I remember the commercial, but have always ignored it. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/11 "2019-07-30T16:44:48Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Anybody even know what I’m talking about? I never knew these even existed (the “nib” portion of a peanut). I’ve always eaten peanuts whole, I’m going to have to pry a couple apart to see what the fuss is all about. > [@Kimstu](#): > > sriracha ranch peanuts sounds like … Absolute heaven! I’m going to have to keep my eyes out for some. Doritos makes some sort of “Doritos Nuts” or some such that’s essentially peanuts coated with the Doritos Nacho Cheese “Cheese” flavor powder. Sounds like the ultimate bachelor food, but they’re actually pretty good. Maybe I just have a high threshold for disgust. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/12 "2019-07-30T16:52:16Z")
You can occasionally find “peanut hearts” sold as wild bird seed. Michigan birds mostly ignored them when I gave them a try. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/13 "2019-07-30T17:53:47Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > Most of the peanut butter facility waste was sold to local pig farmers for feed. Nero Wolfe declares in _Too Many Cooks_ that Southern pigs fed on peanuts produce the best hams. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/14 "2019-07-30T21:02:42Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Absolute heaven! I’m going to have to keep my eyes out for some. Carolina peanut company’s version of the sriracha ranch peanut is wonderfully delicious. Meijer’s used to carry 'em but no longer. Now I order them online from the company. It’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Rob\_Green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Rob\_Green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rob_Green)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/15 "2019-10-31T20:37:37Z")
It was Skippys [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xSihlNCbxWw/hqdefault.jpg "Skippy Peanut Butter Spot") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSihlNCbxWw) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/16 "2019-10-31T21:27:19Z")
So, bitter nibs are a no-go and a big deal but a shit ton of sugar added is totes fine? Oooookay there, Skippy people! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/17 "2019-10-31T23:31:33Z")
I never saw that commercial, but I used to scrape the nibs out of the peanuts with my teeth and eat them. Never noticed a big taste difference. They seemed a smidge drier, for lack of a better word, though. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitter-peanut-nibs/837840/18 "2019-11-01T02:59:35Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Sounds like the ultimate bachelor food, but they’re actually pretty good. Maybe I just have a high threshold for disgust. It fits my only good neologism: nāsty. Some foods are simultaneously nasty and tasty, and that’s the word for 'em.