# why don't nuts go bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178 "2019-07-16T17:32:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/1 "2019-07-16T17:32:06Z")
I know. Nuts do go bad. But it takes months, up to a year. Meat goes bad quickly. Both are full of protein and fat. Meat has more water obviously. But what is the biggest significant difference? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/2 "2019-07-16T17:41:24Z")
Nuts, being seeds, are _intended_ to last for a considerable period of time prior to be used by the nascent plant within them. Nuts that didn’t last for extended periods of time were eliminated by Darwinian selection and left no descendants. As for the mechanics of how they do that - forming inside plant tissues they’re in a protected environment without bacteria, then are wrapped in various membranes/walls that provide additional protection against bacteria, elements, critters interested in eating them… I’m not up on all the details but part of it is simply avoiding contamination of the nut contents from the start. Meat, on the other hand, is intended to be used as muscle tissue and not shelter/feed offspring in the future. Therefore, there is no mechanism to drive evolution of meat that does not decay rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/3 "2019-07-16T17:44:48Z")
> [@TGWATY](#): > > I know. Nuts do go bad. But it takes months, up to a year. Meat goes bad quickly. Both are full of protein and fat. **Meat has more water obviously**. But what is the biggest significant difference? Bolding mine. That’s the majority of the answer right there. Bacteria need a damp environment to thrive. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/4 "2019-07-16T17:55:50Z")
It takes less than a few months for me if I leave my nuts out to air (which is why I avoid boxers). But even so they last at least as long as meat does in the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/5 "2019-07-16T20:34:45Z")
And consider that many foods which would go bad quickly can be preserved and kept for longer by drying them. Raisins last longer than grapes, and jerky lasts longer than steak. Nuts are already the equivalent of raisins or jerky. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/6 "2019-07-16T23:36:21Z")
Mother Nature gave them a good coat to wear. Some make it through digestive systems of animals and birds. To be ‘planted’ elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/7 "2019-07-17T01:12:49Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It takes less than a few months for me if I leave my nuts out to air (which is why I avoid boxers). _Slow Clap_ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/8 "2019-07-17T02:32:51Z")
Not to mention, if you’re talking about shelled, ready-to-eat nuts, that salting was used to preserve foods against spoilage. Check out [how long a cured ham can last without refrigeration.](https://www.edwardsvaham.com/wholesale-faq) (Answer: up to 12 weeks.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/9 "2019-07-17T02:39:49Z")
One of mine did go bad. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2019, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/10 "2019-07-17T04:13:31Z")
Recent thread: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=875773](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=875773) ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/11 "2019-07-17T14:17:00Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It takes less than a few months for me if I leave my nuts out to air (which is why I avoid boxers). But even so they last at least as long as meat does in the refrigerator. You keep your nuts in the refrigerator? Can you still close the door, or aren’t you that endowed? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nuts-go-bad/837178/12 "2019-07-17T14:50:41Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Not to mention, if you’re talking about shelled, ready-to-eat nuts, that salting was used to preserve foods against spoilage. > > Check out [how long a cured ham can last without refrigeration.](https://www.edwardsvaham.com/wholesale-faq) (Answer: up to 12 weeks.) Go to just about any bar in Spain and there will be [hams hanging from the ceiling](http://www.jamonify.com/img/cms/JMCL2.JPG) for who knows how long, often with little paper umbrellas stuck in the bottom to catch the drips. Now I’m hungry…