# Question about peanuts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-peanuts/163743>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 24, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-peanuts/163743 "2003-03-24T07:54:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fifiboyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Fifiboyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fifiboyd)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-peanuts/163743/1 "2003-03-24T07:54:06Z")

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I was wondering this:  
When you buy peanuts in a can it is smaller than when you crack them youself from the shells. Why is this?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-peanuts/163743/2 "2003-03-24T08:52:17Z")

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I assume tou’re talking about the size of the individual kernels?

There are different varieties of peanuts, but I think I’m right in saying that they fall into two broad categories; one variety has deep red skins and up to five kernels per pod, the other has pale red/pink skins and only one or two kernels per pod; the latter variety seems to be the one most commonly sold as ‘monkey nuts’.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-peanuts/163743/3 "2003-03-24T08:53:37Z")

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Oops, I neglected to mention that in the varieties with only one or two kernels per pod, the kernels tend to be much larger.