When was the

last time you had this much fun with peanuts?

"Peanuts

and peanut butter are definitely being rediscovered by lots of different

people being used in cooking and other ways," said Lee Zalben, who

opened the cafe in 1999. "It adds a lot of flavor in a very small

amount. People love to eat it, and it makes them satisfied."

In Zalben's

shop, thousands of pounds are ground each week to meet customer demand.

His 30-seat shop offers six flavors of peanut butter, endless sandwich

possibilities, and about a dozen peanut-themed drinks and desserts.

Elsewhere,

grocery stores are now stocking peanut butter-flavored Goldfish crackers,

frozen PBJ sandwiches and peanut butter Oreos. Peanut flour is being mixed

into a number of energy bars. And culinary schools are dedicating summer

courses exclusively to cooking with peanuts.

"Peanuts

are really doing a resurgence in American cuisine. It's climbing the culinary

charts," said Marie Fenn, president of the National Peanut Board

in Atlanta.

But before

the peanut became an everyday food, it was just a goober that's its name,

roughly translated, in the Congo. Africans introduced peanuts to America

in the 1700s. The underground pods were grown, harvested and eaten by

slaves or fed to animals. That did not change until George Washington

Carver, a philanthropist born into slavery, dedicated his life to agriculture

and found common applications for peanuts.

Today 25,000

peanut farmers in the United States toil nine months on this high-maintenance

crop, earning only pennies a pound.

The peanut's

culinary value was starting to be realized when the Kellogg brothers of

Battle Creek, Mich. yes, those Kelloggs patented the process to make "nut

meal," a primitive peanut butter. The next year, Carver became the

head of the department of agriculture at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute,

now Tuskegee University.

Carver revolutionized

the agriculture industry while also developing more than 300 uses for

peanuts, including medicines, cosmetics, soaps, and paints. His research

bulletin, "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for

Human Consumption," was published in 1925 and included such recipes

as peanut coffee, peanut wafers, peanut bisque and even peanut brownies

and peanut-butter fudge.

Peanuts have

been praised for their healthful qualities, including protein density,

the absence of cholesterol, and low saturated fat. "It fits nicely

into a diet for those who are trying to cut down on their intake from

animal sources or who are vegetarians," said Laura Coti Garrett,

a nutritionist in Hackensack, N.J. "If you are someone trying to

maintain or gain weight, nuts would be great because they are a high energy

source without containing lots of sugar."

But before

you grab a couple of handfuls, consider this: As few as five or six raw,

jumbo-sized Virginia peanuts have 45 calories, and roasting can add saturated

fat. And mainstream peanut butter contains sugar and hydrogenated fat.

Nutritionally, Garrett said, the best peanuts are right out of the shell

"even in ballparks" and the best peanut butter is freshly ground.

Peanuts have

tremendous versatility, used in sweet to savory dishes. "The Best

of Virginia Farms Cookbook" (Menasha Ridge Press, $24.95) includes

these recipes from some of peanut country's landmark restaurants.

Hotel Roanoke peanut soup

1/2 cup butter

1 small onion,

diced

2 ribs celery,

diced

3 tablespoons

flour

2 quarts hot

chicken broth

1 pint peanut

butter

1/3 teaspoon

celery salt

1 teaspoon

salt

1 tablespoon

lemon juice

1/2 cup ground

peanuts

Melt butter

in a large saucepan. Add onions and celery. Cook, stirring often, for

five minutes, but do not brown. Stir in flour, then broth. Cook, stirring

occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Remove from

heat and strain. Return to saucepan and stir in peanut butter, celery

salt, salt, and lemon juice. Garnish with ground peanuts. Servings:

10.

Surrey House peanut raisin

pie

3 eggs

1 cup dark

corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons

margarine, melted

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