Even during the Christmas 2025 will appear on Italian tables American peanuts: also known as peanuts, these seeds of Arachis hypogaea (a plant native to Central America) have taken on various names throughout Italy – from “titjobs” to “nucelles” –, thanks to the dialect variations handed down over the generations. Let’s therefore cross Italy to discover all the ways in which peanuts are called in the different regions.
Little curiosity: despite what you might think, peanuts are not part of the dried nuts: from a botanical point of view, in fact, they belong to the dei family legumes (Leguminosae)just like beans or lentils.
Titjobs, in Lombardy
The term “titjobs” to indicate peanuts is particularly widespread in Lombardy (especially in the provinces of Varese, Como, Monza Brianza and Milan), but also in part of the Canton of Ticino, in Switzerland.
The origin of this name has to do with the introduction of peanuts in Europewhich occurred around the 16th century by the conquistadors Spaniardswhich had colonized South America, where the plant comes from.
The bagigi, in Veneto
If you are in one of the 7 provinces of the Venetothen it is likely that instead of peanuts you will be offered “bagigiThis ends drift from Arabic hab-hazizhowever used erroneously: the Arabic word, in reality, does not indicate the peanut plant, but an edible tuber similar to a walnut and renamed in Spain as chufa (from which the vegetable drink known as horchata, widespread especially in the Valencia region).
Scachetti, in Emilia-Romagna
Going down to Emilia-Romagna, here peanuts are called “chequetti”: the term derives from French «cacahuète» – also used in Spanish to indicate, in fact, the American peanut –, which over time was gradually Italianized, first as “caccaetti” and subsequently taking the name of “chequetti”.
Nucelline, in Campania
To close this list Campaniawhere peanuts are called “nucellesIn this case, the origin of the name is quite clear: it is, in fact, a diminutive of “walnut”, more widespread in its form dialect Of «‘And nucell” than in the Italianized version of “nucelle”.
The calacausi, in Sicily
In Sicily, and more specifically in Catania, American peanuts have taken on the name of “calacausi”: literally, this term means “trouser hanger” (the causes are trousers in Catania dialect), even if its origin is not entirely clear and there are different theories about it. Specifically, the term calacausi would be linked to the fact that, to be eaten, peanuts must be peeled and therefore private of one’s own dressthat is, a shell, compared to trousers.
A second explanation, perhaps more playful, traces the term calacausi to an alleged laxative power of peanuts which, if eaten in excess, would cause the inevitable gesture of “lower your trousers” to go to the bathroom.
