Peanuts Grow in Popularity

More restaurants are putting the crunchy legume on menus.

February 23, 2011

CHICAGO - Peanuts are becoming a popular pick for restaurateurs these days, popping up on salads, entrees and desserts, Nation??s Restaurant News reports. The crunchy legumes are being featured in different foodservice venues.

Technomic??s MenuMonitor found that peanuts listed on menus soared 44.6 percent between 2006 and 2010. For example, P.F. Chang??s China Bistro added honey peanut vinaigrette to its Manchu duck small plate while Houlihan??s has a peanut-ginger slaw and Panera offers a Thai chicken salad with peanuts.

Island Creek Oyster Bar serves a peanut butter frozen yogurt topped with toasted peanuts. "We sell a lot of it," said chef Jeremy Sewall.

With peanuts available year-round, restaurants are enjoying the renewed interest in the legumes. The 3 Vines Café has a South African peanut soup made with chopped onion sweated in peanut oil, ginger, cayenne pepper, carrots, sweet potatoes and vegetable stock.

Other restaurants offer peanut soup, a favorite at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. Many East Asian dishes, such as Pad Thai, Malay satay and Chinese Kung Pao chicken, use peanuts.

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