Pea: Encyclopedia II - Pea - Types of pea

Pea - Types of pea

Peas grown for the immature peas are called garden peas, shell peas or green peas. They are sold fresh (usually in the pod), or tinned or frozen.

The mature pea, which dries naturally in the field, is known as the marrowfat pea. It is grown mainly in Britain, but many are exported to the Far East. One of the oldest export varieties, popular in Japan for the last hundred years, is called Maro.

Several cultivars of peas are eaten pod and all, and are known as mangetout, edible pod peas, snow peas, sugarsnap peas, sugar peas or snap peas. They are especially characteristic of East Asian cuisine. The snow peas are eaten before the pod inflates, whereas the snap peas are eaten when the seeds have partly matured and the pod is round.

Field peas, also referred to as protein peas, are a cultivar of P. sativum (P. sativum 'Arvense') that are grown as forage or for hay production. Cowpeas and Black-eyed peas (genus Vigna) are traditionally used in U.S. southern cuisine, soul food, and in the cuisines of the Caribbean islands.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Types of pea", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki