In the US peanut butter is very popular; however when I was travelling in Europe I was amazed to see that it was unavailable for the most part. Is there a reason why the Europeans don't like peanut butter?

gman89

I highly doubt that all Europeans dislike peanut butter. It is just widely unpopular, people haven't heard of it and it isn't a very common thing. Think of it like pate. It is delicious and it's considered a delicacy in Europe, but people in the US cringe at the thought of meat paste. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't like it, it just means that it's very uncommon. Different country, different culture. Consider the following link: http://www.journeywoman.com/lovestories/peanut_butter.html Feb 19 07, 4:15 PM

Baloo55th

The UK is part of Europe, and I can assure you that peanut butter is popular here. Always a jar of it on the shelf in the pantry at Baloo's. Peanut butter and jam butties. Nice... Feb 19 07, 4:35 PM

star_gazer

When I visited my brother in London he did have some but he indicated it was harder to get than in the US, however on the Continent I didn't see it once. And I traveled it. Feb 19 07, 4:51 PM

lanfranco

Europeans are very fond of Nutella, a chocolate and hazelnut spread, that functions more or less as the peanut butter equivalent. I think that the company that makes Nutella also makes a peanut spread, but I knew an American child living in Italy who was instantly converted to the classic Nutella the first time she ate it. Feb 19 07, 4:53 PM

star_gazer

I found plenty of that stuff, I thought it was foul. Feb 19 07, 5:03 PM

MaggieG 5

Perhaps they're arachibutyrophobic? Feb 19 07, 5:08 PM

lanfranco

Now I really have heard everything. A peanut butter phobia? I'm a great fan of hazelnuts in other forms, star-gazer, but I strongly suspect that you have to encounter Nutella in early childhood in order to grow up loving the stuff. Feb 19 07, 5:29 PM

What-A-Mess

The European answer to Peanut Butter is Nutella. "Nutella is also very popular in ( ) Europe, Canada, in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Africa, mostly with children and teenagers. This is less true in the United States, where the product was only available as an expensive import until the 2000s." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutella http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutella Peanut production in the USofA is the main reason Peanut Butter is so widely available. Only China and India produce more peanuts than America and Europe produces next to nothing! http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/ES-pubs/RB437.htm#World%20Peanut%20Production Feb 19 07, 6:07 PM

star_gazer

My experience of eating Nutella was akin to eating very sickly choclate cake icing with a distant flavor of nut. Feb 19 07, 6:56 PM