The peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PBJ or PB&J) is a common sandwich in the United States and Canada. Children are the largest consumers of PB&J sandwiches, usually eating them for lunch.

Recipe

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The recipe is as simple as the name — one slice of bread spread with peanut butter and another spread with jelly, jam, preserves, or marmalade. The two spread sides are then stuck together, resulting in a sandwich that generally will not drip or spill no matter which way it is held. The simplicity of preparation, storage, and eating makes the sandwich a popular choice for children.

There is considerable room for sandwich chefs to vary the types of bread, peanut butter, and jelly in their creations. Common versions are creamy peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread, chunky peanut butter and strawberry or raspberry jam on whole wheat toast. The ratio of peanut butter to jelly in the sandwich is generally recognized as a key variable - high relative amounts of peanut butter can make the sandwich difficult to chew while using only a small amount of peanut butter can cause the jelly to ooze out the sides. Individual preferences in this area vary widely. Other nut butters, such as almond, cashew, soybean, and sunflower butter can be used, as well as commercial preparations such as Nutella.

Variants of the PB&J range from the Fluffernutter to the peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Use as school lunch

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A child's lunch is usually made in the morning before going off to school. While at school it will most likely sit in their lunchbox while in the student's locker. This can lead to the jelly soaking through the bread, especially if the jelly side happens to be on the bottom of the sandwich or some other item in the lunch presses against the jelly side. A popular way to avoid this is to slightly alter the way the sandwich is made by spreading peanut butter on both slices of bread and then jelly on top of the peanut butter thus avoiding the problem of the jelly soaking through. Another option is to spread butter or margarine before spreading the jelly on the bread. A recent method that has been used is to make the sandwhich the night before and freeze it, taking it out the next day, in which the sandwich will be perfectly soak-free near the lunch hour.

Some schools prohibit foods containing peanut products due to the rising incidence of severe peanut allergies among children.

History of the sandwich

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Forms of peanut butter were widely introduced in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, although it had been sold as a medical nutritional supplement in St. Louis, Missouri for about 15 years. The modern, creamy version was invented in 1922 by Joseph L. Rosefield. Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches were first mentioned in print in 1940. While no one can take credit for the sandwich's invention, one thing that can be ascertained was that both peanut butter and jelly were packed with United States Army K-rations in World War II. The combination proved so popular that returning GIs made peanut butter and jelly a standard American food.

Shelf-life

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Generally

PB&J sandwiches are also popular because they can be safely kept for relatively long periods without refrigeration (unlike, for example, a ham and cheese with mayonnaise).

Military experiments

The United States Department of Defense is researching ways of preserving a PB&J for up to 3 years for its infantry in the field. Although peanut butter and jelly has been available in the military instant food Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) for many years, it proved difficult to keep bread from spoiling.

The Smuckers affair

In December 1999, two independent inventors, Len Kretchman and David Geske, were granted a U.S. patent, US 6004596, "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 ^*]17" target="_blank" >million dollar investment in a [http://www.bakingbusiness.com/headline_stories.asp?ArticleID=74654&PF=print new factory to produce the product. By 2005, sales of the product grew to $60 million a year with a 20% per year growth rate.

Smuckers has gone on to enforce their patent rights against those that tried to copy the invention by sending cease and desist letters, and to expand their patent coverage by patenting a machine to produce Uncrustables sandwiches in high volume (US6874409: 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 an effort by J.M. Smucker Co. to patent its process for the making pocket-size peanut butter and jelly pastries.

Specialized retailers

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In 1998, a shop called Peanut Butter & Co. opened in New York City - they serve several different kinds of peanut butter sandwiches using their six different kinds of all natural gourmet peanut butter, which can also be purchased by the jar.

Internet phenomenon

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Around the year 2000, a humorous animation appeared on the Internet, featuring a dancing banana, singing repeatedly "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!"

Use as a Health Food

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A peanut butter and jelly sandwich can be a delicious and nutritious option for the health conscious consumer, even those looking to lose weight. Whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter without any added sugar or trans fats, and a natural jelly (better yet, freshly mashed berries) will provide up to 5g of fiber, a healthy dose of fruit and antioxidants, and the heart-healthy fats in the peanut butter help to lower the risk of heart disease. The whole wheat bread and peanut butter will slow digestion, making a person feel fuller, longer.

Sandwiches