"Fresh green peas were considered a delicacy by King Louis 14th of France. To his wife, the subject seemed all consuming. 'This subject of peas continues to absorb all others....a pleasure of having eaten them and the desire to et them again are among the great matters which have been discussed for the four days past.' One of Louis' wives wrote in a letter dated 1696: "It is both a fashion and a madness."
The history of peas is long and jumped quickly from country to country. Certainly by 1793 in America "peas were popular with all classes of people."
Recipe for Dressed Peas from a 1744 cookbook published in London: Place one pound of peas in sauce pot with 6 TB of butter; simmer and dust with flour. Add any sweet herbs desired: parsley, basil, mint. Stir in 1/2 cup flour and bit of boiling water "slowly stewing the mixture." Lastly, add some diced ham.
(Thanks to The Magazine of Colonial Williamsburg, September 2023.)
Did you know that Washington ranks #1 in edible dry pea production, contributing 45% of the U.S. production. Our dry eastern Washington fields are good for dry peas, lentils (all colors) and chickpeas. There are three types of peas grown here:
- Garden peas - grown from seeds
- Sugar peas - grown for the whole edible pods
- Field peas - grown for dried seeds
Isn't September a dandy time to make a pot of pea soup???
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