In the 1820s, the French encouraged peanut planting in the colony of Senegal to improve the supply of peanuts for oil. By the 1830s, Peanut Oil was being used in Marseilles to make soap.
Development of the European peanut oil industry was stimulated by a worldwide shortage of fats after the Napoleonic wars, an increase in population, a rise in the standard of living, and a new working class. As in Britain, French soap and candlemakers became increasingly dependent on foreign sources of oil supply in the 1830s.
Peanut oil is one of the most important of the world's food oils, as is evidenced by the fact that in 1912 over 120,000 metric tons of peanuts in the shell, together with about 240,000 metric tons of shelled nuts, were crushed in Marseille, yielding 15,500,000 gallons of edible oil.
Records show that peanuts were grown commercially in South Carolina around 1800 and used for oil, food and a substitute for cocoa. Peanut oil is considered a premium, high-quality cooking oil in the U.S., is able to withstand higher cooking temperature than many other oils and does not retain the flavor of foods cooked in it. Peanut oil can be heated to a high temperature – the smoke point is at around 210°C so the oil is ideal for frying, sautéing and deep frying.
History of peanut oil
