Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

A **peanut butter and jelly (or jam) sandwich** (**PB&J**) consists of peanut butter and fruit preserves — jelly or jam — spread on bread. The sandwich may be open-faced, made of a single slice of bread folded over, or made between two slices of bread. The sandwich is popular in the United States of America, especially among children; a 2002 survey showed the average American will eat 1,500 before graduating from high school.

There are many variations on the sandwich; for example, honey or sliced fruit can be substituted for the jelly component, e.g. a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Marshmallow fluff can also be substituted for the jelly, or added for extra flavor; this sandwich is called a "Fluffernutter".

The popularity of almond butter has inspired some to transition to "almond butter and jelly" sandwiches; other nut butters are less common. Cream cheese, substituted for the peanut butter, makes a "Cream cheese and jelly" (CC&J) sandwich. Nutella is another possible substitute for one of the spreads. Seed butter, such as sunflower seed butter are also used as peanut butter substitutes.

The water in jelly or jam can make the bread soggy, especially when the sandwich is prepared ahead of time as part of a bag lunch. To prevent this, peanut butter can be spread on both slices first. The fat in peanut butter will block the moisture from the jelly from entering the slices of bread.

# History

Peanut butter was originally paired with a diverse set of savory foods, such as pimento, cheese, celery, watercress, saltines and toasted crackers. In a *Good Housekeeping* article published in May 1896, a recipe "urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread." The following month, the culinary magazine *Table Talk* published a "peanut butter sandwich" recipe. An early recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich appeared in the *Boston Cooking School Magazine* in 1901; it called for "three very thin layers of bread and two of filling, one of peanut paste, whatever brand you prefer, and currant or crabapple jelly for the other", and called it as "so far as I know original". In the early 1900s, this sandwich was adopted down the class structure as the price of peanut butter dropped. It became popular with children with the advent of sliced bread in the 1920s, which allowed them to make their own sandwiches easily.

Since World War II, both peanut butter and jelly have been found on US soldiers' military ration list.

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day occurs annually in the United States on April 2.

# Nutrition

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich that is made with two slices of white bread, two tablespoons each of peanut butter and grape jelly provides 403 kcal, 18 g fat, 58 g carbs and 12 g protein, which is 27% of the Recommended Daily Intake of fat and 22% of calories.

While roughly 50% of the calories are from fat, most of them come from monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats, which the American Heart Association considers beneficial to heart health.

# Ingredients

Jelly is a fruit-based spread, made primarily from fruit juice, while jam contains crushed fruit and fruit pulp.

# See also

* Fool's Gold Loaf
* Jam sandwich
* Peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich
* List of sandwiches
* List of peanut dishes