Difference Between Nuts and Peanuts

When we think of healthy snacks, a common thing is the small amount of nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts and peanuts. But do you know that peanuts aren’t actually crazy? that’s right! Although we casually call them part of the nut family, peanuts belong to a completely different flora. In everyday language, the term “nut” is widely used in a variety of edible seeds with hard shells.

Now, due to its name “nut”, most people may often confuse peanuts of peanuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc. If you also find yourself asking yourself, “Is peanuts the same as nuts?”, then this article will bring you all the questions. Today, we will answer the most common question: What is the difference between peanuts and nuts?

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What are nuts?

When we define nuts, we are looking for a wider group of nuts called tree nuts that grow on trees, including those that are real plant nuts and those that are torn nuts.

In botanical terms, nuts (or real plant nuts) are dry, hard fruits composed of hard wood shells (pericarp) fixed in a single seed that is usually edible (called kernels). Examples of real plant nuts include acorns, chestnuts and hazelnuts. Real nuts come from family fagaceae (such as oak and chestnuts).

Nuts usually contain a single seed wrapped in a tough wooden outer wall, called the peel. Nuts don’t release their seeds naturally. This key feature classifies them as abnormaldistinguish them from fruits such as beans or capsules.

Nuts are formed from a flower of many flowers, which is the female reproductive organ of the flower. These cortexes are fused to form an adjunctive gynecological department, which matures into a sclerotic complex ovary. This plant structure contributes to the toughness of the nutshell. The peel (the wall of the ovary) becomes thick, hard, and woody on the real nuts, sealing the seeds tightly. This shell protects the seeds from predation and environmental damage.

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Now, you might ask why we also call almonds, cashews, macadamia, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and Brazil nuts nuts nuts? In everyday language, we often mix a wide variety of edible seeds under the label “nuts”, but are widely called nuts, which are dry dr seeds that do not meet the plant-based definition of real nuts but share characteristics with real nuts.

Drupes (plant definition): Drupes are fleshy fruits with thin skin, hard rocks (endoplasmic), surrounded by a seed. In the following cases, this is the kernel inside the hard rock we eat.

• Almonds: seeds of drupe (shell is endogenous).
• Cashew: Seeds attached to the accessories fruit (cashew apple).
• Pistachio: seeds of drupe (shell is endogenous).
• Walnut: seeds of drupe (with leather peel).
• Macadamia: Technically follicles (a type of dried fruit that opens with cracks), but with very hard shells.
• Hickory: seeds of drupe.
• Brazil nuts: seeds of capsule fruit.

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What is peanut?

Peanuts are beans, not nuts.

Peanuts, scientifically known as Archis hypogaeausually mentioned by various names such as peanuts, beans or monkey nuts.

Although their name and cooking purpose, peanuts are not real nuts, they belong to the legume family (Beanaceae), which also includes beans, lentils and peas.

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What makes peanuts different from most legumes is their unique growth habits: after pollination, the flowers of the plants bend and the pods develop underground. This unusual feature earned them their species name.hypogaeameaning “under the earth.”

Peanuts are mainly used for edible seeds and are widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas. They are both food crops and oil seeds, and are valued for their rich protein and fat content.

One of their significant agricultural benefits is their ability to fix nitrogen through symbiotic bacteria found in root nodules. This makes peanuts a sustainable option for crop rotation as they naturally enhance soil fertility and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Comparison table: Nuts and peanuts

Although both are usually divided into the same cooking category, nuts and peanuts are both biologically and plant-based. Their growth habits, classification and allergic properties vary greatly.

category	nut	peanut
Plant Category	Dried fruit (or drupe)	Beans
family	Various (such as rosacea)	Beanaceae
Growth habits	Growing on trees	Grow in pods
Fruit Types	Usually, a single dried fruit with a hard shell	Pod-based fruit, split and open after ripening
example	Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios	Virginia peanuts, Spanish peanuts, runner peanuts
allergy	Tree nut allergies (less common than peanut allergies)	Peanut allergy (more common and possibly more severe)

in conclusion

So, are peanuts really crazy? The next time someone asks you casually throw peanuts into their mouths, you will know that although their name has a “nut” and is present in every mixed meal bowl, peanuts are beans, not nuts.

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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion