It was long thought, and yet some claim that peanuts came from both South America and Asia, but the hypothesis of a strictly South American origin appears to be today unanimity among researchers. It was domesticated 2,000 years or 3,000 years ago by the predecessors of the Arawak Indians living in the fertile valleys of Paraguay, before spreading to the south-west and north-eastern Brazil and to Bolivia, where many species, including its putative ancestor, still grow in the wild. By cons, is found only in cultivation, good advance indicator of pre-Columbian societies, who mastered the selection and improvement of plants for their food.

From South America, it rose again to Mexico and the Caribbean. After the conquest of America, the Spaniards will introduce it in Europe, as well as in the Philippines, China, South-east Asia and Madagascar, while the Portuguese establish in Africa.

Many believe that the peanut is a nut, but in reality it is a legume just like beans. Peanuts are also an excellent source of protein, although these are less complete than animal protein.