Peanut Is Not A Nut But A Legume

A legume is a dry fruit found inside a pod that splits into two halves.

Peanut is not a nut but a legume. Peanuts have more in common with beans and peas than they do with walnuts and almonds. Given the confusion and recent increase in nut allergies of both kinds people have started adopting the phrase tree nut to distinguish non-leguminous nuts from legumes. It would make a lot more sense if it were called a pea legume.

Peanut is not a nut but a legume despite boasting of all the characteristics of nuts A nut has a unique quality of being indehiscent meaning it does not open on its own. Confusion Over Peanuts Despite its name the peanut is considered a legume. Its a simple and common mistake given that the word nut is a part of the peanut name.

Rather the peanut is a legume. There is an enormous amount of confusion surround what exactly are nuts. However due to the peanuts demanding nature it is often considered a nut due to its consistency.

Technically Almonds Brazil nuts Cashews Pistachios and Peanuts are not nuts in the botanical sense. When talking of the nutritional aspects the legumes are dense food. Most people would be hard pressed to find nut that is actually a nut in the Botanical sense.

Really all you need to know is that cashews are generally healthy to eat as long as youre not allergic to them. Things like walnuts and almonds are traditional nuts and they grow above ground in trees. Despite the name a peanut is not actually a nut.

Legumes split along their side naturally. While the seeds of a nut are not attached to the walls of the pod the seeds of legume are attached to the walls of the shell. In a nutshell a peanut is closer to a pea than a nut.