On Wed, 26 Aug 1998, Kent Multer wrote:

> This reminded me of a topic that has come up here recently, but was never
> quite resolved.  A couple of people have said that peanuts can be eaten
> raw, and therefore are OK by the NeanderThin guidelines.
>
> Does anyone agree?  Disagree?  Ray, do you have an opinion?

I suggest you go to the supermarket, buy a bag of raw unshelled
peanuts, and eat some.  In my opinion, raw peanuts have a
somewhat "green" taste, but no more so than many other raw foods.
Some people prefer their peanuts raw, which is why they are sold
this way.

In Neanderthin, it says that raw peanuts are "not easily
digested." (p. 56)  I'm not sure what the basis for this is, but
I expect that there is wide variation among individuals.  In my
own case, I don't particularly like the raw taste, but I have no
trouble digesting them that I am aware of.

On the other hand, peanuts are probably from Peru originally, and
are thus a New World food.  This means that they entered the
human food supply in relatively recent times, like all other
uniquely New World foods, such as tomatoes.

Todd Moody
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