Do You Even Peanut Butter in Thailand?

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1 hour ago1 hr

I know this is technically a food topic, but it is really more of a rant.

Years ago, a friend of mine told me that the taste of peanuts in Thailand are unacceptable. At the time I thought he was exaggerating. I eat peanuts occasionally when in Thailand myself. They are a decent source of protein and I quite like them. The local brand Koh Kae roasted and salted peanuts are good value and perfectly enjoyable as far as healthy snack foods go. A bit crunchy and brittle sometimes, but still not bad.

Fast forward to more recently where I became mildly obsessed with buying jars of natural peanut butter from supermarkets while traveling overseas.

Most of it was excellent.

Creamy, smooth, rich tasting, and somehow still soft and spreadable even after being refrigerated. Most of the brands contained nothing except peanuts, with no salt added. After a bit of experimentation I found that adding around 1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams of peanut butter was the sweet spot. Every time I bought a jar I would weigh out the right amount of salt, stir it in while the peanut butter was still at room temperature, stick it in the fridge, and end up with what I considered near peanut butter perfection.

Now onto Thailand.

The supermarket options here seemed fairly uninspiring. Most of the shelf space appears dedicated to heavily processed peanut butter products containing sugar, oils, stabilisers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and possibly components from a small space programme.

I am only interested in natural peanut butter, and the supermarkets usually have only one or two brands of that variety, often imported and fairly expensive.

So I ordered five different locally made brands online from small manufacturers. All claimed to be 100% peanuts. All claimed to be creamy. All claimed to be wonderful.

To be fair, they were definitely made from peanuts.

Beyond that, things started going downhill.

I added the same salt ratio to each jar and mixed them thoroughly. Not one of them could honestly be described as creamy. One was vaguely acceptable. The rest ranged from dry to what I can only describe as edible construction material.

After refrigeration several of them turned into something with roughly the consistency of reinforced concrete. So locally grown peanuts are likely lacking in peanut oil.

The flavour was also disappointing.

Almost all had a slightly burnt taste to them. None had that fresh, naturally sweet peanut flavour I had become used to elsewhere. Two jars went straight into the bin. One was acceptable enough to finish. The remaining two are still sitting in the fridge waiting for me to lower my standards.

The whole experiment has actually made me reconsider what my friend said years ago.

I am starting to think the issue may not be the peanut butter manufacturers at all.

It may be the peanuts.

Five different brands, all using different production methods, and yet all ending up with roughly the same disappointing flavor profile starts to point the finger at the raw ingredient itself.

Of course, I could always buy one of those expensive peanut grinding machines and make my own smooth peanut butter in Thailand. But if the peanuts themselves are the problem, then all I would really be doing is producing my own disappointing peanut butter more efficiently.

Also, I do not eat peanut butter on bread.

I quite enjoy eating peanut butter straight from a spoon as a snack. That way there is nothing else influencing the flavor, unlike eating it on bread where the taste can be altered or improved somewhat by whatever bread you are putting it on. That's how I'm certain that the peanut taste is an issue.

One final point that may shock some people. And before anybody calls the authorities, I would also point out that peanut butter on chicken is absolutely delicious.

If that sounds strange, remember that chicken satay is basically chicken covered in peanut sauce and half the country seems perfectly happy with that arrangement.

So perhaps the real question here is not whether peanut butter belongs on chicken.

It is whether Thailand secretly produces the world’s least inspiring peanuts and nobody told me.

1 hour ago1 hr

3 minutes ago, Kyoto Kyle said:
I know this is technically a food topic, but it is really more of a rant.
Years ago, a friend of mine told me that the taste of peanuts in Thailand are unacceptable. At the time I thought he was exaggerating. I eat peanuts occasionally when in Thailand myself. They are a decent source of protein and I quite like them. The local brand Koh Kae roasted and salted peanuts are good value and perfectly enjoyable as far as healthy snack foods go. A bit crunchy and brittle sometimes, but still not bad.
Fast forward to more recently where I became mildly obsessed with buying jars of natural peanut butter from supermarkets while traveling overseas.
Most of it was excellent.
Creamy, smooth, rich tasting, and somehow still soft and spreadable even after being refrigerated. Most of the brands contained nothing except peanuts, with no salt added. After a bit of experimentation I found that adding around 1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams of peanut butter was the sweet spot. Every time I bought a jar I would weigh out the right amount of salt, stir it in while the peanut butter was still at room temperature, stick it in the fridge, and end up with what I considered near peanut butter perfection.
Now onto Thailand.
The supermarket options here seemed fairly uninspiring. Most of the shelf space appears dedicated to heavily processed peanut butter products containing sugar, oils, stabilisers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and possibly components from a small space programme.
I am only interested in natural peanut butter, and the supermarkets usually have only one or two brands of that variety, often imported and fairly expensive.
So I ordered five different locally made brands online from small manufacturers. All claimed to be 100% peanuts. All claimed to be creamy. All claimed to be wonderful.
To be fair, they were definitely made from peanuts.
Beyond that, things started going downhill.
I added the same salt ratio to each jar and mixed them thoroughly. Not one of them could honestly be described as creamy. One was vaguely acceptable. The rest ranged from dry to what I can only describe as edible construction material.
After refrigeration several of them turned into something with roughly the consistency of reinforced concrete. So locally grown peanuts are likely lacking in peanut oil.
The flavour was also disappointing.
Almost all had a slightly burnt taste to them. None had that fresh, naturally sweet peanut flavour I had become used to elsewhere. Two jars went straight into the bin. One was acceptable enough to finish. The remaining two are still sitting in the fridge waiting for me to lower my standards.
The whole experiment has actually made me reconsider what my friend said years ago.
I am starting to think the issue may not be the peanut butter manufacturers at all.
It may be the peanuts.
Five different brands, all using different production methods, and yet all ending up with roughly the same disappointing flavor profile starts to point the finger at the raw ingredient itself.
Of course, I could always buy one of those expensive peanut grinding machines and make my own smooth peanut butter in Thailand. But if the peanuts themselves are the problem, then all I would really be doing is producing my own disappointing peanut butter more efficiently.
Also, I do not eat peanut butter on bread.
I quite enjoy eating peanut butter straight from a spoon as a snack. That way there is nothing else influencing the flavor, unlike eating it on bread where the taste can be altered or improved somewhat by whatever bread you are putting it on. That's how I'm certain that the peanut taste is an issue.
One final point that may shock some people. And before anybody calls the authorities, I would also point out that peanut butter on chicken is absolutely delicious.
If that sounds strange, remember that chicken satay is basically chicken covered in peanut sauce and half the country seems perfectly happy with that arrangement.
So perhaps the real question here is not whether peanut butter belongs on chicken.
It is whether Thailand secretly produces the world’s least inspiring peanuts and nobody told me.

Peanuts are very high in calories. Hardly a health food.