History Brief: Well-Heeled Protein Paste

Small Home Gazette, Winter 2022

History Brief: Well-Heeled Protein Paste

Peter Pan peanut butter adCereal pioneer Dr. John Harvey Kellogg filed the first patent for nut butter in 1895. Peanut butter (PNB) lovers would have found Kellogg’s “food compound” bland—peanuts were steamed and ground into a digestible paste for patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium. PNB began as a vegetarian protein-rich food for wealthy “spa guests.”

  • PNB was considered an upscale delicacy, served in New York’s finest tearooms.
  • Dr. Ambrose Straub patented a PNB-making machine.
  • PNB was introduced to the masses at the St. Louis World’s Fair.
  • Packed in barrels, grocers had to stir frequently with a wooden paddle to prevent spoilage.
  • Meat rationing of WWI made PNB a staple in American homes.
  • Joseph Rosefield filed a patent for partial hydrogenation to extend shelf life.
  • Closeup of Peter Pan peanut butter can labelThe introduction of sliced bread in the 1920s made sandwich-making kid-friendly.
  • Peter Pan was the first dominant national PNB brand.
  • Rosefield started his own brand, Skippy, introducing crushed peanuts for a crunchy PNB and using the first wide-mouth jar.

Early PNB sandwiches were made with raisins, marmalade, cheese, cucumbers, grapefruit, celery, dates, bananas and bacon. Tempting?—well, maybe not.