# Who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257 "2016-03-26T17:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/1 "2016-03-26T17:54:14Z")
Both things taste good on bread, but where did the idea of combining the two come from? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/2 "2016-03-26T18:00:09Z")
Moving to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/3 "2016-03-26T18:04:35Z")
Peanut butter was first patented in 1884, and became popular in the late 1800s. People experimented with pairing it will all kinds of ingredients in sandwiches or on crackers. The first published reference in the United States was by Julia Davis Chandler in 1901 in the Boston Cooking-School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/4 "2016-03-26T18:09:16Z")
Okay. You have peaked my interest since I grew up having PB&J sandwiches growing up. I much preferred them to the bologna and mayo sandwiches and often traded mine for cookies or chips during grade school (US). A quick research found probably more than you want to know. [PB&J](http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/surprisingly-short-history-peanut-butter-jelly-sandwich/) I just finished lunch here, yet am now headed to market for the basics. Peanut butter, grape jelly and American cheap white bread. Out the door with less that 10$US! BTW, am I the only one who spreads peanut butter on celery stalks? Yeah, I guess I am weird that way. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/5 "2016-03-26T18:17:58Z")
Yes, this piques my interest as well. A glass of ice cold milk, PB&J, and some potato chips, a fine snack. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/6 "2016-03-26T18:25:53Z")
Thank you for that link, **Cabin\_Fever**. It confirmed what **Colibri** pointed out, and brought out that the sandwiches became popular during WWII when Welches’ Grapelade grape jelly was included in the soldiers rations along with peanut butter and pre-sliced bread. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/7 "2016-03-26T18:29:21Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > {…} BTW, am I the only one who spreads peanut butter on celery stalks? > Yeah, I guess I am weird that way. [Ants on vacation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ants_on_a_log)!? CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/8 "2016-03-26T20:58:50Z")
I thought it was [the now-coach of the New England Patriots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOaGkPXn9LQ), but maybe he just perfected it. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/9 "2016-03-26T21:19:46Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > BTW, am I the only one who spreads peanut butter on celery stalks? Yeah, I guess I am weird that way. Our mother used to do that for us kids. It seemed to me a not so clever method employed to get us desensitized to vegetables, but I grudgingly admit the flavor contrasts seem to work, however improbable that may seem. I almost never remember to buy celery, it is good in certain sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/10 "2016-03-26T21:20:48Z")
The earl of peanut butter and jelly. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/11 "2016-03-26T22:32:17Z")
Let’s say white Texans. There is such long list of foods that they claim to have invented, what’s one more? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/12 "2016-03-26T23:44:54Z")
If you can’t get enough of PB&J sandwiches, I highly recommend the new Kellogg’s [Jif PB&J cereal](http://www.cerealously.net/review-jif-pbj-cereal/). It smells exactly like a PB&J sandwich, and the taste is pretty close. I’m already on my third box since I discovered it about a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/13 "2016-03-27T02:06:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The earl of peanut butter and jelly. OK, this is really funny. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/14 "2016-03-27T03:00:36Z")
It was inwented by a little old lady from Leningrad. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/15 "2016-03-27T04:14:57Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > OK, this is really funny. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/16 "2016-03-27T10:20:41Z")
I put “peanut butter and jelly sandwich” into Google Ngram. This is the first reference it found, which is from 1939: > **[AYH Handbook and Hostelers Manual](https://books.google.com/books?id=93atfN4BKisC&q=%22peanut%2Bbutter%2Band%2Bjelly%2Bsandwich%22&dq=%22peanut%2Bbutter%2Band%2Bjelly%2Bsandwich%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjb7Kzly-DLAhUIJiYKHU9HBKMQ6AEIywEwIA)** Here’s the chart that Google Ngram made: > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=peanut%2Bbutter%2Band%2Bjelly%2Bsandwich&year_start=1800&year_end=2016&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cpeanut%20butter%20and%20jelly%20sandwich%3B%2Cc0)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer So it appears that although there are printed mentions of such sandwiches at least as early as 1939, it really took off about 1964 (and maybe has peaked in popularity recently). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/17 "2016-03-27T11:31:38Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > BTW, am I the only one who spreads peanut butter on celery stalks? > Yeah, I guess I am weird that way. It’s how my five-year-old son gets most of his vegetable intake in recent months. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/18 "2016-03-27T13:07:25Z")
> [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > BTW, am I the only one who spreads peanut butter on celery stalks? > Yeah, I guess I am weird that way. Not weird at all. In fact, I would have thought this is super common. One of the first things I think of when thinking raw celery is for dipping in peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/19 "2016-03-27T14:30:15Z")
Via Wikipedia, we find [this cite](https://books.google.com/books?id=25QsAQAAMAAJ&q=%22peanut+paste%22+jelly+sandwich&dq=%22peanut+paste%22+jelly+sandwich&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7LHkUefvKJTeyQGc_YGoBA#v=snippet&q=%22peanut%20paste%22%20jelly%20sandwich&f=false) from 1901; > [@](#): > > For variety, some day try making little sandwiches, or bread fingers, of three very thin layers of bread and two of filling, one of peanut paste, whatever brand you prefer, and currant or crab apple jelly for the other. The combination is delicious, and so far as I know, original. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257/20 "2016-03-27T14:48:12Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The earl of peanut butter and jelly. The Dukes of Pastrami and Rye developed the prototype, but their un-nutty brand name was a marketing flop, so they went in a different direction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich/750257.md?page=2)