Evening Edge

You may really like bologna sandwiches. Perhaps you are fond of grilled cheese. It's entirely possible that you dig BLTs. But seriously, do any of them hold a candle to peanut butter and jelly?

Hot dogs and apple pie have their place, but everyone knows that the ultimate American food is peanut butter and jelly. Since it was introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, peanut butter has stuck to our palates and to our hearts. Americans consume, on average, about 3 pounds of peanut butter each year — that's four 12-ounce jars per person — according to the Atlanta-based National Peanut Board. In total, that's enough to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (although some of this peanut butter is certainly eaten out of the jar and never makes it into a sandwich).

Chris Hunt, chunt@ajc.com/AJC (ENLARGE)

Just in time for school, here are some lunch treats inspired by and variations on the venerable PB&J sandwich.

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With peanut allergies in the news, you may have thought PB&J had gone into hiding, but peanut butter is doing just fine, says the peanut board. As spokeswoman Lisa Agostoni points out, 98 percent of the population is not allergic to peanuts. And even with our heightened state of allergy awareness, peanuts enjoy an active life. Between 2000 and 2006, mentions of peanuts on the menus of the nation's 200 biggest restaurant chains increased 159 percent in the dessert category, 128 percent for entrees, and 333 percent in appetizers.

So, while it's important to take precautions around anyone with a peanut allergy, it's OK to love your PB&J. And you know you do.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

As much as you love the regular stuff, why stop there? Consider these alternatives:

• Peanut Butter & Co.'s peanut butters: Flavors include Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, White Chocolate Wonderful, Mighty Maple or the Heat Is On. (www.ilovepeanutbutter.com)

• P.B. Loco's peanut butters: Flavors include Raspberry White Chocolate, Asian Curry Spice, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Sun-dried Tomato. (www.pbloco.com)

• Chet's Peanut Butter's squeezable breakfast and dessert topping. From Harris Family Foods in Roswell, this new product comes in four flavors: Cinnamon Nutmeg, Chocolate, Banana and Roasted Nut. (www.chetspb.com)

PEANUT BUTTER FACTS

• Nearly half the U.S. peanut crop is made into peanut butter.

• Georgia grows about 1.5 billion pounds of peanuts each year — about 45 percent of the U.S. crop.

• An acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches. Georgia farmers plant about 650,000 acres of peanuts.

• It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

• The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school.

• Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy. Women and children prefer creamy, while most men opt for crunchy. Creamy is more popular on the East Coast, but crunchy is more popular on the West Coast.

• Metro Atlanta is home to two peanut trade groups: the National Peanut Board in Atlanta, and the Canton-based Peanut Advisory Board, which represents peanut growers in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

• Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.

Sources: National Peanut Board, Peanut Advisory Board