Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich, (PB&J), also known as a peanut butter and jam sandwich in the UK, Canada and Australia, is a sandwich that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jelly or jam on bread, commonly between two slices, but sometimes eaten open-faced, that is, with peanut butter and jam or jelly on each of two slices, eaten without putting the two slices together and without folding each slice of bread.[1] The sandwich has the advantage that it does not contain any perishable ingredients, so it does not require refrigeration in hot weather, making it suitable for lunch bags. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is very popular with both adults and children in the US and Canada. A 2002 survey showed the average American will have eaten 1,500 of the sandwiches before graduating from high school.[2] Jars of pre-mixed peanut butter and jelly are commercially available for making these sandwiches.
Variations
Other nut butters, such as almond, cashew, soybean, sunflower, or hazelnut/nutella are sometimes used to make sandwiches similar to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Many jams and jellies are commonly used to create peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, though most commonly dark berries (such as raspberry or blackberry) are used because of the flavor combination with peanut butter.
Some known variants include the addition of one or more of the following ingredients[citation needed]: honey, syrup, marshmallows, raisins, bananas, butter, marshmallow fluff, other dried fruit, or another slice of bread. A combination of peanut butter and Nutella (cocoa flavored hazelnut butter) is also popular as is peanut butter with honey or bananas instead of the jelly.
In 1968, The J.M. Smucker Co. introduced Goober, which combined alternating vertical stripes of both peanut butter and jelly in a single jar.
Sealed crustless sandwich
In December 1999, two independent inventors, Len Kretchman and David Geske, were granted a U.S. patent,[3] "Sealed Crustless Sandwich" for an improved peanut butter sandwich that would have a long shelf life. The J.M. Smucker Co. bought the patent from the inventors and developed a commercial product based on the patent called Uncrustables. Smuckers then made a US$17 million dollar investment in a new factory[4] to produce the product. By 2005, sales of Uncrustables grew to $60 million a year with a 20% per year growth rate.
Smuckers attempted to enforce their patent rights by sending out cease and desist letters to competitors, and by expanding their intellectual property coverage via the patenting of a machine to produce Uncrustables sandwiches in high volume U.S. patent 6,874,409 "Method and apparatus for making commercial crustless sandwiches and the crustless sandwich made thereby". The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, however, rejected the viability of the patent citing its similarity to existing processes such as that of fashioning ravioli or a pie crust.[5]
Popular culture, colloquialisms and the PB&J
The sandwich has often been called PB&J, Peanut Butter and J, Peanut Butter and Jam.
Peanut Butter Jelly Time is a well-known Internet song.
The steps to making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich are popularized in the lyrics of a children's song, sung on many children's TV shows, such as Barney & Friends.
Nutrition
The Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich is a high energy food, peanut butter being high in calories and fat, and jelly in sugar. However, peanut butter does have a lot of health benefits, with its high level of protein and monounsaturated fat.
See also
References
- ^ The History of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
- ^ PB&J is A-OK. Prepared Foods 171.10 (Oct 2002): p.32(1).
- ^ U.S. patent 6,004,596
- ^ Bakingbusiness.com
- ^ Court rejects J.M. Smucker’s PB&J patent - Food Inc. - MSNBC.com