They're a cross between a roasted peanut and peanut butter both taste and texture wise. Its the middle ground... I cook them until I can get that peanut butter taste and a texture of a well boiled potato. Mine are not slimy like people fear. Temperature does change the taste/texture and generally warm to hot is better than ambient temp. Most people that are not thrilled to try end up eating my bag which is why I cook 15-20lbs as I know I'll give 1/3 away. The last newby to try them, a friend's wife, took my half filled gallon bag back home with her. I looked all over for it and we found out the following weekend where it went. She caught the nickname "the squirrel" as she was plowing through them and had a pile on the ground after getting over the first few. She was from Maryland originally. I'm not trying to toot my horn but saying I've had more hesitant people like them than not like them after trying.
Definitely don't get the ones from the local gas station that have been cooking in their vat of slime since 2022. If you want to try some, find a roadside stand or pick up a can of "Peanut Patch" from walmart. They're too salty for me so I drain and quick rinse followed by dumping into a bowl and microwaving for a minute until warm. These are on the more mushy side due to the canning process which I think causes over cooking.
I'm the token Yankee here and have great fun duking it out over sweet vs unsweet tea and the like. Boiled peanuts is very much a Southern thing, culturally. But it's roots go back to colonial America.
Some people don't like peanuts at all, in any form. It's pretty much a lost cause trying to get them to even try them.
But they ARE worth trying. They don't have to be fancy...just plain boiled/salted peanuts without any other spices added is a fantastic way to experience them, especially for the first time. In fact, most "new" foods are best kept simple when first trying them, if only for the fact that getting fancy about it can more easily turn people away.
Give 'em a try. It's not like they're expensive. Roadside vendors are great sources. They're often sold at baseball games and fairs as well.
