花生又名落花生，長生果，屬豆科作物，原產南美熱帶亞熱帶地區，15世紀傳入我國，在河南省亦有400多年種植歷史。
       
    開封縣位于黃河故道沖積平原，全縣120萬畝耕地有一半屬沙土和輕沙土，適宜種植花生。建國初期，全縣種植25.5萬畝，最多的年份達到40.5萬畝。后來由于片面強調糧食生產，使花生面積一度萎縮，產量急劇下降。十一屆三中全會以來，隨著市場經濟的發展和農村調整種植結構的需要，種植面積迅速擴大，成為河南省重要的花生基地之一。由于所生產的花生米粒大，色鮮艷，品質好，因而開封花生在國內外市場上享有很高的聲譽。 
      
    花生營養豐富，用途廣泛，渾身是寶。花生仁含油50％左右，清香濃郁，淡黃透明，純正可口，是人們喜愛食用的高級植物油，由于它屬不干油性、含有亞油酸，因而能降低血管膽固醇，防治高血壓、冠心病等病癥。除此之外，花生仁含有30％的蛋白質和多種氨基酸，每百克仁熱量為2361千焦，因而它不僅僅是一種價值高、營養豐富的食品，也是重要的工業、醫藥原料。國外應用花生蛋白生產的多功能食品、大眾化食品、高乳食品、特制木爾頓乳劑和兒童食品早已風靡全球。開封生產的花生醬、花生酥糕、花生糖等傳統小食品也極受消費者歡迎。此外，花生的莖、葉、果殼和種皮也具有較高的醫藥價值。中醫認為花生仁有補脾潤肺，補中益氣，開胃健脾的作用。花生果殼可提取降低血壓和減少膽固醇的藥物──脈通靈，還可培育菌種。花生種衣也能提煉治療各種出血癥的藥物─寧血一號。其中葉還可治療神經衰弱、失眠、血壓高等病。除藥用外，果殼尚能制取醋酸、醋石、糖醛、活性碳、丙酮、甲醇及醬油等多種產品，當然它也是理想的秸稈飼料。
      
    開封花生是開封的名優產品，它始于明萬歷年間，至今已有300多年的歷史。開封地處黃河中下游，氣候溫和，土壤松軟，光照充足，適合花生生長。因此，這里的花生產量高，質量好，以致使開封成為九州馳名的"花生王國".開封花生具有籽飽、果長、皮薄、味香、出油率高等優點。 花生不僅是食品、油料、還具有醫藥、工業用途，被群眾稱為"聚寶"，"金豆豆"。用花生制作的焦炒花生、咸面花生、虎皮花生、花生糕、花生糖等品種繁多，美味宜人，深受廣大群眾喜愛。開封縣生產的優質生產的優質花生油，不僅暢銷全國，而且遠銷歐美、東南亞等10多個國家和地區。 


 

Kaifeng Peanuts

    Kaifeng peanut is a famous specialty in Kaifeng City which stems from Wanli period in Ming Dynasty over 300 years ago. Kaifeng is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and has moderate climate, soft soil and rich sunshine, which are appropriate for the growing of peanuts. Thus, peanuts produced there have high yield and quality and also make Kaifeng become a famous Peanut Kingdom in Henan Province.
      
    Advantages of this breed are that owning plump and long seeds, thin peels, fragrant smell, high oil yield and so on. Peanuts are not only able to make into various food and oil, but have medical and industrial usages. Wide variety food made from peanuts such as fried peanuts, tiger-skin peanuts, peanut cakes, peanut brittles, etc are much delicious and is well welcomed by common people. High-quality peanut oil made in Kaifeng sells very well in China as well as in more than 10 countries in Europe, America and Eastern Asia.