Peanuts and Coke

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A glass of Peanuts and Coke Peanuts and Coke front (cropped).jpg
A glass of Peanuts and Coke

Peanuts and coke, sometimes called a "miner's Coke" or "farmer's Coke", [1] is a snack originating in the coal-mining regions of the United States that later became popular with agricultural and other blue-collar trades. It is made out of peanuts soaked in Coca-Cola.

Contents

Description

The most common variation involves pouring salted peanuts into a bottle of Coca-Cola before drinking them. [2] Traditionally, glass bottles of Coca-Cola were used. [3] The snack's appeal is often attributed to the combination of sweet and salty tastes, as well as the crunchiness of the peanuts. [4] [5] Other variations substitute different nuts or sodas. [6] The combination has been called "the working man’s strawberries in champagne." [7]

History

Writing on the Coca-Cola website, Rick McDaniel speculates that the snack could have developed in the South as early as the 1920s. [8] Writer John T. Edge of the Southern Foodways Alliance recalls that the road trips of his childhood in Jones County, Georgia, were "fueled by a sleeve of roasted and salted peanuts and a glass bottle of Coke". He regards the snack as a form of "prototype fast-food" in the 20th century South. [8]

It became popular in the South as a summer snack, [9] especially in rural areas. [10]

The snack became an internet trend in 2018. [11]

References

  1. Leidy, Hannah Lee (2018-02-14). "The Story Behind Coke and Peanuts". The Local Palate. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  2. "Pour peanuts into Coca-Cola and call yourself a Southerner". The Takeout. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  3. "I Tried the Southern Tradition of Putting Peanuts in My Coke, and It Was Oddly Delicious". Spoon University. 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  4. "Adding salted peanuts to Coke is a southern US tradition - so we tried it". The Independent. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. Maria, Meghan De (2019-11-19). "Peanuts and Coke: Why Putting Salted Peanuts in Coke Isn't as Crazy As It Sounds". Eat This Not That. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  6. Ratliff, Shannon (2022-04-15). "Try Peanuts in Coke For a True Taste of the South". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  7. "Baptize Your Peanuts in Coca-Cola for a Trip Straight to Flavor Heaven". Esquire. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  8. 1 2 McDaniel, Rick (17 June 2013). "Coke and Peanuts: A Food Historian Speculates on How it Got Started". Coca-Cola. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  9. "Southerners' All-Time Favorite Snack Calls For a Bag of Peanuts and Bottle of Coca-Cola". Southern Living. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  10. "The Real Reason People Put Peanuts In Coke". Mashed. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  11. "Putting Peanuts In Coke: Trend Regaining Popularity - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2023-06-18.