Peanuts are biologically categorized as legumes rather than true nuts, meaning they grow underground in pods right next to the roots of the plant.

A closer look

Peanuts are biologically categorized as legumes rather than true nuts, meaning they grow underground in pods right next to the roots of the plant. Unlike walnuts or pecans which proudly grow on trees like proper botanical nuts, the peanut is basically a confused bean trying to aggressively rebrand itself for the snack aisle. They are more closely related to peas and lentils than they are to actual almonds. The entire culinary world has been lying to you for your entire life, wrapping this imposter in a salty shell and throwing it into trail mix under false pretenses. It is a brilliant marketing scam orchestrated by a subterranean legume that managed to infiltrate the prestigious nut community. We just blindly accepted it because peanut butter is delicious, proving once again that humans do not actually care about scientific taxonomy as long as the end product pairs well with a jar of grape jelly