Peas Basics

The seed of a leguminous annual plant, the pea is the product of centuries of cultivation and selection. Peas grow on a bushy or climbing plant that can grow to a height of 1–5 feet. They grow better in cool climates, where they can be sown in early spring. The smooth pods can be straight or slightly curved, and are either swollen or flat. They usually measure from 1 3/4" to 6" in length and contain 2–10 seeds of varying sizes. The seeds are generally round but may also have a slightly square form. Though most peas are green, certain varieties may be grayish, whitish, or brownish in color.

Peas are indigenous to central Asia and Europe and have been known to the Chinese for more than 4,000 years. They were very popular among the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. Peas were introduced into America during the 19th century. For a long time, peas were consumed dried and made into a purée that served as a staple food for many peoples. The Chinese were apparently the first to consume the pod and seeds as a vegetable. Green peas did not appear on European tables until the 16th century, having been popularized by the French royalty. In the 1860s, Gregor Mendel’s research with hybridized pea plants led him to conclude that there was a genetic basis for inherited traits. When his work was rediscovered at the turn of the century, it inspired a revolution in the commercial use of plant hybridization.

The pea consists of more than 1,000 varieties including green peas (also called garden peas or smooth peas), sugar snap peas, and snow peas. Smooth peas are the most common variety—they’re the type of peas you get when you buy a bag of frozen peas at the grocery store. Smooth peas grow better in cold climates and are starchier than wrinkled peas, which are sweeter and used mainly for canning. Snow peas are distinguished by their edible pods, which are sweet and crisp. Snow peas should have flat pods with barely developed seeds—those with swollen pods have tough strings and are inedible. The opposite is true of sugar snap peas, a fairly recent variety whose pods are tasty even when the seeds are fully developed.