Synonyms:  field peas  = dry peas

Like beans, shelled peas are packed with both healthful nutrients and flatulence-producing enzymes.  Since the water that you soak and cook the peas in absorbs some of the indigestible sugars that make you gassy, it helps to rinse the peas after soaking, and then use fresh water when you cook them.  Split peas don't need to be soaked and cook quickly.

Substitutes:  fresh peas

Bengal gram

black-eyed pea = cowpea  = crowder pea = lobhia = lombia = black-eye bean = black-eye pea = black-eyed suzy = China bean = chawli = poor man's pea = Southern pea    Notes:   Originally from China, these chewy peas were common fare on slave plantations.   They're still popular in the South, where they're traditionally eaten on New Year's Day or combined with rice and sausage to make Hoppin' John.  They don't need soaking and cook fairly quickly.  Don't overcook them, or they'll get mushy.   Substitutes:   black-eyed pea, fresh OR yellow-eyed peas ("eye" is yellow, not black) OR pigeon peas OR split peas OR lentils

ceci bean

cici bean

congo pea

cowpea

crowder pea 

Egyptian pea

gandules

chickpea = chick-pea = garbanzo bean = garbanzo pea = garbonzo bean =  white chickpea = ceci bean = cici bean = Egyptian pea = kabuli channa = kabuli channa = kabli chana = kabli channa = pois chiches = chole     Notes:   This nutty-flavored pea is a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, where it's used to make everything from hummus to minestrone soup.   Many cooks buy them canned, since the dried peas are hard and take a long time to soak and cook.   Substitutes:  great northern beans (for hummus)  OR lima beans OR black chickpeas

garbanzo pea

garbonzo bean

goongoo pea

green pea = green matar dal   Notes:   It's best to buy them split, since split peas don't need to be soaked and cook fairly quickly.  They're commonly used to make soups.  Substitutes:  yellow peas

green split pea

gunga pea

gungo pea

lobhia

lombia

pigeon pea = goongoo pea = gunga pea = gungo pea = congo pea = congo bean = no-eyed peas = gandules    Shopping hints:   These are usually sold dried, but fresh, frozen, and canned peas also are available.  They have a strong flavor, and they're popular in the South and in the Caribbean.   Substitutes:  yellow-eyed peas OR black-eyed peas

yellow pea = yellow matar dal    Notes:   These have an earthier flavor than green peas. Scandinavians like to use them in soups, while the British use them in their pease pudding.   It's best to buy them split, since split peas don't need to be soaked and cook fairly quickly.    Substitutes:  green pea OR black-eyed peas OR lentils

yellow-eyed pea  Notes:   These are similar to black-eyed peas, only the "eyes" are yellow.  They're popular in the South.  Substitutes:  black-eyed pea OR pigeon pea

 

---

Copyright © 1996-2005  Lori Alden