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products » beans_peas » black eye pea
Black Eye Pea
Vigna unguiculata
Black-Eyed Peas are slightly kidney shaped and plum with an irregular very dark purple circle formed on the ridge of the bean. These beans are creamy white in color and thin-skinned. They are savory and robust but have a subtly earthy sweet flavor and a smooth, buttery texture. Black-eyed peas are medium in size, about 1/2 inch.
Related to the same species (Vigna) as the mung bean and other Chinese legumes, it is though to have originated in China. From China it probably traveled by sea to Arabic countries and into Africa. Black-eyed peas were introduced to the West the eighteen century during the African slave trade and eventually made it in the South, where it is grown today.
About 90 percent of black-eye peas are dried and grown in California, from there they are shipped all over the world.
These beans are great in African and Indian dishes, as well as those from the Caribbean and the Southern United States.
Used in the famous dish from the South, Hopping John, the dish is a mixture of black-eyed peas and rice. Traditionally, black-eyed peas, eaten on New Year's Day, are supposed to bring luck for the following year.
This bean has a distinctive flavor, cooks quickly and does not require soaking. It s soul food down South and is becoming popular from border to border as Yankees and Westerners teach each other tasty new tricks. |
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