Creamy and Crunchy
An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food
by Jon Krampner
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Pub Date Nov 27 2012 | Archive Date Feb 28 2013
Description
The first popular account of one of America's most beloved foods (consumed by more than seventy-five percent of the population), Creamy and Crunchy is a comprehensive and entertaining history of peanut butter's development and integration into the American diet. Richly illustrated and filled with anecdotes and facts culled from unusual and engaging sources, the book is a mix of interviews, research, travels in the peanut-growing regions of the South, personal histories and recipes, focusing on the manufacture of the food from the 1890s to the present, while also covering its cultural, nutritional, and even molecular evolution.
Jon Krampner begins with peanut butter's creation and the scramble to capitalize on its early success. He provides in-depth looks at Peter Pan, Jif, and Skippy, and why Peter Pan, one of the first big brands to manufacture and market the food, is now a distant third behind market leaders Jif and Skippy. He examines the plight of black peanut farmers; the creation of the "Choosy Moms Choose Jif" campaign; the role of peanut butter in fighting Third-World hunger; and the salmonella outbreaks of 2007 and 2009 that threatened to derail peanut butter's sacred place in the American cupboard.
Krampner investigates the resurgence of natural, or old-fashioned, peanut butter; the five ways today's product is different from the original; why Americans love peanut butter so much more than people from most other nations; and the future trajectory of the industry. He also provides tips on peanut butter etiquette (if eating it straight from the jar, use a teaspoon - unless your girlfriend has just brutally dumped you, in which case a tablespoon is considered acceptable) and concludes with a "best of" list featuring top, taste-tested peanut butters and a timeline of key figures and events. A dedicated web site maintained by the author, www.creamyandcrunchy.com, contains additional images and information.
Jon Krampner is the author of The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television and Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley. He received an A.B. in English literature from Occidental College and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He lives in Los Angeles.
Advance Praise
“Creamy and Crunchy is a fast-paced, entertaining, and wonderfully gossipy look at the history of everything about peanut butter, from nutrition to allergies and genetic modification—and with recipes, yet. Everyone who loves peanut butter will want to read this book (personally, I prefer crunchy).”
—Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University
“Jon Krampner’s Creamy and Crunchy is a delightful book about America’s most popular nut butter and sandwich spread. It is action-packed, peopled with medical professionals and corporate giants, captains of industry and hard-hitting advertisers, vegetarians and health-food advocates, and farmers and peanut-butter lovers. It is a well-written, fast-paced, surprising tale about the delicious food we thought we knew. One nibble and you can't stop reading!”
—Andrew F. Smith, editor in chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780231162326 |
| PRICE | $27.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Featured Reviews
Susan F, Reviewer
People have related all American staples to be apple pie, hamburgers, and hot dogs but author Jon Krampner presents a case that peanut butter is equally an all American food. To the reader's surprise, the story of peanut butter presented by Krampner is the story of twentieth-century America, demonstrating how the crop has expanded and used in a variety of ways as America has developed.
Not only are peanuts roasted and coated in chocolate but they are used to flavor candy, ice cream, cooking oils, and cookies to name a few of these comfort foods infused with peanuts. The author's first popular historical tome is rich with anecdotes and facts spruced with interviews, analytical research, nutritional statistics, personal stories, expeditions into the peanut-growing regions of the South, and recipes that use peanut butter.
Krampner sheds light on how peanuts and peanut butter have whittled its way into people's diets and meal plans, and how easily grocers have made peanut butter accessible to consumers. Creamy and Crunchy contain the stories of such peanut butter store brands as Jif, Skippy, and Peter Pan. He chronicles the good and the bad side of the product's history from the emergence of peanut butter companies and peanut butter rivals to discussing peanut butter lawsuits, peanut butter shortages and recalls, and the rise of peanut allergies.
The reader will learn veritably every aspect about the peanut product and its packaging, its market and value to consumers, and governments involvement in regulating the industry. It's an entertaining book that provides readers with an ample amount of information about peanuts and the American diet. Audiences never realize that they are being overwhelmed by the information simply because it is all information that is relevant to their lives.
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