Peanut butter -- a poll for non-Americans

[Cunctator]

@Cicero

Always had peanut butter (it became paste later) and vegemite in the fridge. Love them both.

I thought it was peanut *paste * only in QLD. It’s certainly still peanut *butter * in NSW.

[amarone]

@hathaway

I think a lot of foods in America are just plain sweeter, even peanut butter, and if you aren’t used to that and trying a new food in America, you might be put off.

This is certainly true. My first experience of sweet dinner rolls was a shock. It reminds me of something I heard on the radio (spoken by an American): “you must realize that when an American calls a wine dry, he means compared with Coca-Cola”.

[medstar]

@CalMeacham

Hey, all you peanut-butter-haters!
“Astringent after-taste”? Where are you getting your peanut butter from? I always had the impression that one reason kids liked peanut butter was that it was a relatively benign and bland product (with a bit of added sugar), a la ketchup.

Could it be that the peanut skins are being ground up as well? Whenever I eat peanuts that are roasted in the shell and thereby need to be peeled, I always make sure to rub off the skins because those are bitter.

[Mangetout]

From the UK here; I like peanut butter - crunchy much more than smooth, but any port in a storm.

[Raygun99]

@Johnny L.A.

Yes. No butter (or margarine) on PBJs. But I do put butter on toasted English muffins when I put peanut butter on them. Without, they’re a bit too sticky for me and the butter helps lubricate it.

Grape jelly is traditional, but many people like strawberry jam or raspberry jam instead. But I’ve also use orange marmalade.

I’ve also been known to use honey, but that pretty much has to be on toast.

[Alma]

@CalMeacham

I don’t know why you don’t see walnut butter or pistashio butter or other spreads made from ground-up nuts.

It depends on where you shop. Places like Whole Foods or some high-end grocery stores have all kinds of butters. I’ve even seen hemp butter, though I can’t imagine how that would taste.

[brianjedi]

Almond butter is pretty good, if a bit expensive.

For my money, though, nothing beats a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. Mmmmm. Smooth, creamy peanut butter and crispy, warm and salty bacon all in one.

[matt_mcl]

Canadian. Yes, Virginia, we have peanut butter. I prefer crunchy – for sin on toast, mix with Nutella. (And “jelly” is gelatin – fruit spread is jam.)

[panache45]

The only kind of peanut butter I eat is the natural kind, just peanuts and salt. Any other kind is overprocessed and gooey and too sweet. And it’s best mixed with cold butter. Cut the butter into the pb with a knife, but not enough to get rid of the lumps of butter.

If I’m making a pb&j sandwich, I prefer rye bread (with seeds); it seems to complement the slight saltiness of the pb. And use any quality jelly/jam/preserves/marmalade. Again, the oversweetened ones are just gross.

And by the way, I also love Marmite and Vegemite and lemon curd.

[Cemetery_Savior]

An American, here. However, my cousins back in Westmeath, IRE have begun a family/civil war over this very subject. My eldest male cousin absolutely loves peanut butter (salt only, no sugar), and before his soccer matches will eat about 1/2c. one hour beforehand, right after his 3.5-hour-prior jug of OJ.

My other cousins think it tastes like crap.

What made my head swim was the fact that everyone thinks PBJs are bizarre. Growing up in Chicago, I think I had PBJs for lunch at least 1xweek. I can’t think of PB with anything else. My favorite is apricot preserves with smooth reduced-fat Jif.

As a sidebar, PBJ is fantastic at training puppies. Very small amounts, but if you stuff a small soup bone with PB, you are almost guaranteed 15 minutes of peace (eternity in puppy-time).