Peanuts

The groundnut belongs to the pea and bean family and is a legume. The groundnut is the only nut that grows below the earth. The groundnut plant is a variable annual herb, which grows upto 50 cm. in height. The flowers of the plant develop a stalk which enters into the soil, forms a pod containing generally two seeds. They become mature in about two months, when the leaves of the plant turn yellow. The plant is then removed from the earth and allowed to dry. After three to six weeks they are separated from the plant.The groundnut is particularly valued for its protein contents, which is of high biological value and it contain more protein than meat-about two and a half times more than eggs, and far more than any other vegetable food except soybean and yeast. Groundnut is grown in nearly 100 countries. India is one of the major exporting country of groundnuts after china.