Why Some People Drink Coke With Peanuts And How The Tradition Began

Food history is littered with combinations which – to those who haven't tried them – might seem a little weird, but are in fact delicious. The trend of dipping ice cream in butter springs to mind, or adding a pack of salted peanuts to an ice-cold Coke. Yup, you read that last one correctly. What's more, like the Midwest staple of peanut butter with chili, it's been a perfectly normal thing to do in Appalachia and across the American South for years. 

Blending Coca-Cola with peanuts has been compared to a liquid version of a PB&J, a sweet-yet-salty snack that always manages to hit the spot for those who love this combo. What's fascinating is how, as its popularity spread, people were divided about which was the best drink to use. Some firmly back RC Cola, while others will only slurp Coca-Cola for this combo. But these weren't the only sodas paired with peanuts. Depending on where they lived, some people preferred cheerwine or Dr Pepper as their delivery device for peanuts, and not everyone went for salted nuts.

While plenty of folks add all sorts of things to their glasses of Coke, including ice cream, milk or chocolate syrup, or dip crackers, chips or even French fries in their sodas, the addition of peanuts appears to be uniquely American. So who were the first to combine salted peanuts and Coke, and why on earth did they do it?

The simple answer is: practicality. Back in the 1920s, Coca-Cola was already an established product in grocery stores and filling stations when it was joined by a new snack food: prepackaged, shelled peanuts. The two were often bought together, especially in blue-collar regions of the United States, where they were a huge hit among hungry, hard-working folks. The standard operation was to tear off a corner of the peanut bag and pour some into their mouths, followed by a refreshing swig of Coke. 

Some genius then tipped their peanuts into the glass bottle of Coca-Cola and discovered it tasted out of this world. More importantly, they didn't have to stop working or wash up to enjoy their snack. It was so popular that Coke and peanuts was sometimes dubbed "the working man's strawberries and Champagne." Tastes may have changed a lot since the 1920s, but the love for this salty-sweet concoction is still going strong, having been passed down from grandparents and parents to a new generation. Just like the addition of molasses to some store-bought peanut butters, you shouldn't knock an idea 'til you've tried it.