Page 1 of the Booklet

Peanut butter signifies the innovation and technological advances people began to make in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s and onward. It started as peanuts being mashed into a paste for medical reasons to becoming a smooth and creamy, flavourful household favourite through inventions of hydrogenation machinery. It revealed to be beneficial in future economic calamities including the Great Depression and the World Wars, as well.

During the Great Depression, peanut butter became essential when many families could not afford protein in the form of expensive meats (Upton, 2014). Peanut butter provided a way around this, allowing families to get the protein they needed from something that was large in supply and cheap to attain. During World War I and World War II, the same could be said. When resources were being rationed, peanut butter prevailed. In the end, it became known as a traditional favourite among many homes, even today (Upton, 2014).