[Sca-cooks] Another question on peas

wheezul at canby.com wheezul at canby.com
Wed Mar 3 23:05:21 PST 2010


> You can use medievalcookery.com and search under peas or pea for a
> selection
> of recipes, including ones that might make a pea soup.
>
> Johnnae

So, in a moment of synchronicity I just happened to be reading about peas
in the Lustgarten book I gushed over yesterday.  Ryff describes three
types - the common dried white pea that is sewn on acreage, the wild
fieldpea and the well shaped green pea (from Alsace, he tells us).  He
also says they are called Pisa, after the city they were first know.  He
seems quite comfortable with describing these, and even says that his book
is written for the common man to share this kind of knowledge in the
entry. I'm not so concerned with the actual accuracy of his history as I
am wanting to understand what a 16th century person might have known.

My question is, when wanting to approximate the closest
medieval/renaissance equivalent pea, is it more proper to choose a yellow
dried pea than a green one, or some other choice?  I recall someone sagely
posting about the high protein grey pea probably being extinct so I am
curious.

Are there some good basic reference books I should consult about period
specific forms of food that have since been highly hybridized?  Grains,
especially? Or is knowledge scattered in food technology journals that
requires one to hitch up the sleeves and find them?

Thank you,

Katrine





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