The peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) is a sandwich, popular in North America, that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread. It has numerous common additions including honey, chocolate or maple syrup, Nutella, bananas, apples, strawberries, butter, marshmallow fluff, potato chips, cheese, raisins and other dried fruit, and last but not least, bacon.
Both peanut butter and jelly were on the U.S. Military ration menus in World War II. It is said that the American soldiers added jelly to their peanut butter to make it more palatable. Peanut butter provided an inexpensive and high protein alternative to meat for soldiers. It was an instant hit and returning servicemen made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the United States. Food historians haven’t found any ads or other mentions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the 1940s.
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