We owe the little peanut so much. So many of our dishes and desserts in Asia are anchored by its nutty aromas. Satay’s lip-smacking sauce, gado-gado, Chinese rojak peppered with crushed peanuts, Indian rojak with its peanut dip, crispy or chewy min jiang kueh (peanut pancake), nourishing Chinese soups with peanuts, and the plethora of peanut cakes, candies and cookies.

Did you know that peanuts are also eaten during Chinese New Year as something auspicious? The name in Chinese (Hua Sheng) means “flower of life” with the second word meaning “to give birth”, and the long shape of the peanut pod symbolises longevity. “Fa Sung” in Cantonese could also mean happy hearts.

Here are 10 more facts to get you acquainted with Goober.

Fact #1 Despite its name and appearance, the peanut is not a nut, but a bean, a legume.

Fact #2 The peanut by its other names is just as tasty: Goobers, goober peas, pindas or pindes, monkey nuts, pig nuts, Pygmy nuts, jack nuts, manila nuts, earth nuts, and of course, ground nuts.

Fact #3 The peanut has traveled a long way. It was first cultivated in South America, likely by the Peruvian Incas as far back as 7,600 years ago. Spanish conquistadors and Portuguese slave traders brought the bean to Europe and Africa respectively. African slaves then brought it to the United States. Goober and pindas are Congo words by origin. The Spanish colonised the Philippines and from there, the peanut (hence manila nuts) went to India and Indonesia. Portuguese traders brought it to China, and boom! The Chinese loved the peanut so much, they are the world’s no.1 producer.

Fact #4 The peanut is 50 per cent fat! But it’s good fat, the mono-unsaturated kind which is heart-healthy and can reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol).

Fact #5 It is also high in proteins (25 per cent), but lacks essential amino acids like tryptophan, methionine and cystine. But guess what? Add grains and everything’s complete! Peanut butter sandwich, anyone?

Fact #6 Anti-oxidants, the peanut is rich in! New research shows that peanuts yield a lot more anti-oxidants than carrots or beets. You get about as much anti-oxidants from peanuts as you do as blackberries or strawberries! Plus you get coenzyme Q10 like in oily fish, beef, and spinach.

Fact #7 The peanut saves lives! As a snack that’s portable, protein-packed, nutrient-dense, high-calorie and easily eaten without preparation, the peanut is not just for camping trips. It has made the difference between life and death on freezing expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. Doctors also use peanut-based pastes as mass famine therapy and to fight malnutrition in children. Haiti’s peanut crop is helping to create jobs and save under-nourished children in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Fact #8 The peanut also takes lives! Unfortunately, peanut allergies are one of the leading causes of food-related deaths. In some people, the body mistakes peanut proteins as dangerous and hits the panic button, causing anything from rashes to severe anaphylactic shock. There are hypotheses pointing towards how North America processes peanuts, excessive hygiene or delayed exposure in children as factors in developing peanut allergies. Tests are underway in the UK for a skin patch to gradually wean or “cure” the peanut allergy.

Fact #9 The peanut is not just for food. It also helps us make things like varnish, polish, insecticide, glue, textile fibers, plastics, wallboards, abrasives, nitroglycerin, soap and cosmetics!

Fact #10 Never eat moldy peanuts. They could contain aflatoxin, which the name suggests is a toxin. The medical bill when you get liver damage and cancer won’t be peanuts!

So there you have it. Something cheap, delicious and good, but also potentially deadly. It just makes for interesting eating, I say!