[Sca-cooks] Spanish Pepper?

[wheezul at canby.com]

Matthioli:

http://imgbase-scd-ulp.u-strasbg.fr/displayimage.php?album=28&pos=266
http://imgbase-scd-ulp.u-strasbg.fr/displayimage.php?album=28&pos=267

The beans shown on 266 look like black eyed peas to me.  He describes the
beans coming in many colors (white, black, blue, pink, bray, bleached out,
red, yellow, speckled, but only the first kind, a small white bean is
grown in fields, the others are cultivated in gardens.

The field version has a yellow-white flower, and the pods are first green,
then white when ripe.  The pods are a "span" long, pointed and contain
white kidney shaped kernels with a black dot.

Note this "Indian or Calcutta" pepper image as well:
http://imgbase-scd-ulp.u-strasbg.fr/displayimage.php?album=28&pos=380
contrast to the "ordinary" pepper here:
http://imgbase-scd-ulp.u-strasbg.fr/displayimage.php?album=28&pos=382

Ryff:

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/bsb00029507/image_554

Ryff says that these "Smilax Hortensis" are "Welsh" beans and that
translates to "Italian".  He remarks they are also known as Phaselen and
that they are new to German lands.  They grow in a hop-like vine manner
and the beans from the pod are kidney shaped and come in several colors:
snow white, brown, red, black, yellow, speckled.  He says that despite the
recency of introduction, they are now common in Germany.

It makes me wonder if new world beans had spread after introduction as a
garden plant and were given the same description?

Katherine

> Pretty clear from that picture.
> Are there any dietary manuals that have pictures?
> I think this is the only picture I have seen of the "cow peas" or "Black
> eyed Peas".
> I usually stick with Fava or chick when the recipe calls for beans but I
> might switch it out occasionally to black eyed.
> It usually doesn't enter my mind being from the Great White North it was
> not a bean we ate regularly.
> Modern tastes and childhood creep into everything! :)
>
> Eduardo