People in Hawaii used to like to eat their peanuts boiled. Art's family restaurant/soda fountain even sold them in their shop. They are/were a popular snack food...here in Hawaii, that is. I've not seen them on sale lately though.When we moved to Chicago, I prepared some for Art to share with people at his EPA office. I brought some to my school also. Most people really didn't like it. They said it tasted like boiled potatoes with the wrong consistency. However, we discovered that people who grew up in the Southern States did like it and were familiar with it.
We also learned that boiled peanuts used to be called goober peas in the days of the Confederacy. Here's a video of Burl Ives and Johnny Cash singing Goober Peas (Boiled Peanuts).
Tiffany asked me to make some for her when they were visiting in December. I prepared some a few days ago for Art who really loves it. It does take a bit of doing because I soak it overnight first before boiling it for about 1.5 hours in lightly salted water. Here's another recipe I found on-line.
Have you ever had boiled peanuts? Do you like it?
I haven't had them in years -- maybe more than 30 years. I love them. Where do you buy raw peanuts, though? If you make them, I'll BUY them from you. Just name your price! I mean it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find that video is, and fun to see Johnny Cash being a bit light hearted. I can't imagine what boiled peanuts are like (we call them monkey nuts) and don't imagine anyone in the UK will have had them anyway other than raw, salted or dry roasted.
ReplyDeleteI had boiled peanuts years ago when visiting a friend's grandparents who lived in South Georgia. I didn't care for them; the texture wasn't "right".
ReplyDeletethis sounds delicious and worth a try!
ReplyDeletewell I love peanuts but will have to pass on goober peas. I never knew what they were before but had heard the term...
ReplyDeleteWe were all excited one time when we stopped to try the famous boiled peanuts -- what a disappointment! They were mush!!!
ReplyDeleteI always wondered what goober peas were! Thank you for enlightening me.
ReplyDeleteLove the video, too:-)
I didn´t even know you could prepare them this way, until recently when a colleague of mine came to work with some like that. I tasted them, but would rather have the roasted kind.
ReplyDeleteWell, I knew what they were, but preferred not to think about it. LOL
ReplyDeleteI remember this old song, and the video almost brought tears to my eyes, because of the performers: two great singers, that fine gentleman Burl Ives, and the inimitable Johnny Cash. Wonderful to see him smiling and having fun. I think he must have been a Burl Ives fan, too.
Thanks for an enjoyable post, Kay.
Hi to Art, and all the best to your mom.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
I don't recall ever having goober peas but I remember singing the song when I was a kid -- and I grew up in Ohio!!! We thought it great fun!!!! Thanks for the blast from the past!
ReplyDeleteGigi: I have found raw peanuts at the Navy Commissary and the Open (Farmers) Markets. They're not all that cheap, but of course... our whole family loves it. They disappear in a flash.
ReplyDeleteKathy G: I think people just EXPECT a crunch when they eat a peanut and if it's not crunchy, it doesn't feel right.
Kathy A: The Hawaii boiled peanuts are not mush. It's still firm, though not crunchy.
Those are about $4/lb at the grocery stores. The subject came up several years ago on another blog and after researching on the Internet, I "discovered" that they're not only a Hawaii thing, but have been a snack in the South for a hundred years, I guess where most of the US peanuts are grown. Of course, they'd boil some of the peanuts that Planter's didn't buy (joke). There's also a debate whether steamed or boiled is better, or was it a combination of the two methods, something about the prep.
ReplyDeleteWe tried them once while visiting in South Carolina. We didn't like them. Boiling seems to make them taste less like peanuts and we missed the crunch. Maybe you have to grow up with them.
ReplyDeleteI was introduced to boiled peanuts in Las Vegas by some Philipino friends. At first I ate them only to be polite but after awhile I learned to like them. I have never tried to make my own.
ReplyDeleteThis was great! I loved listening to Burl Ives. I guess I never really knew for sure what goober peas were. I've never eaten them.
ReplyDeleteI should have asked my father about them because he used to love to tell a story about his time during WWII when he was stationed in the South. He said he and some friends spent their money in town and didn't have money for food or a ride back to base. They bought some goober peas and ate them as they walked back to base. He said they were good.
I have had them before years ago when I lived in north Florida. I think it is a taste that kind of has to grow on you.
ReplyDeleteBoiled Peanuts are a staple here.
ReplyDeleteMostly they are sold over the bar in pubs.
They don't look very appealing, but boy-o-boy there is quite a demand for them!
We've always got a carboard box full of them in the coldroom amongst the beer kegs.
Whenever we run out, disgruntled protests proliferate, until a new batch is delivered.
We get them from the frozen & refrigerated goods wholesalers.
I've never had boiled peanuts before, but growing up in the south, I remember that song. I might like them.
ReplyDeleteI've only sampled boiled peanuts one time, on a trip through Georgia. I did not care for them.
ReplyDeleteboiled peanuts? Why?
ReplyDeleteYou are right! In Alabama they are a big thing. I don't like them myself, but everyone else seems to. I have a bag of raw peanuts on my counter now, ready to boil for my brother.
ReplyDeleteJulie
www.mysewingobsession.blogspot.com
(Formerly Julie's Blog)
Treats like boiled peanuts are still pretty easy to find in Hilo.
ReplyDeleteThat video is a hoot..before I forget- your header is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had boiled peanuts for some time but I think they taste pretty good. I had to double check..so your husband grew up in Honokaa but you folks lived in Illinois..long time huh?! I can see why your torn. Thanks for your warmth..have a wonderful weekend:)
It's amazing to see how many different ways foods can be eaten all over the world. I would try this recipe but sadly I am allergic to peanuts.
ReplyDeleteLordy lordy, I lived in Arkansas and never even heard about Goober peas.
ReplyDeleteKay, you and Art can go into business making them. Gigi will be your first customer. A cottage industry.
I've never tried them. Virginia is a huge peanut-growing state. When we visit family down south we pass field upon field of them. Peanut soup is on a lot of menus, delicious! I almost bought the boiled peanuts at one of the restaurants but the lady behind the counter told me they weren't the regular kind and that I might not like them. I should have bought them just to try something new.
ReplyDeleteOh my. Well, my father named his first Model T "Gooberita."
ReplyDelete