So I have a pretty severe peanut allergy which means Ive never purposely ate a peanut and have therefore never tasted one without being in panic mode. People have told me that they taste like regular nuts which just makes me more confused. If you were given a selection of other nuts like cashews and almonds, what would compel you to go out of your way for peanuts? A lot of my friends who like them can't even explain why they like them.
I know that most people like them salted or roasted. Is it just a fidget exercise when you eat them plain?
As they aren't nuts, peanuts are different to true nuts. The yanks put them with chocolate and sweeteners, which are pretty awful, but they are a better savoury nut in my opinion. I eat peanut butter & tomato sandwiches, but Aussie peanut butter contains no sugar or sweeteners. Just nuts. So not really possible to know what that tastes like if you are in America. I love gado-gado, a south east asian sauce dish made of peanuts and chillis, very strong, and it wouldn't work with other nuts. It is served over roasted meat and vegetables. Really good.
They taste most similar to cashews I guess, but peanuts are not the same as cashews. They taste nothing like hazelnuts or walnuts or almonds. Some people love the flavour, others not so much, but you aren't missing much if you don't eat them. If it is safe to do so, smell them and see if you like the smell, I guess.