The United Nations has designated 2016 the International Year of Pulses in an effort to help reduce world hunger, fight non-communicable diseases and create sustainable agriculture, especially in developing countries like Fiji. In this continuing new food series, Chef Seeto explains how the tiny pea has played a significant role in world history
It is a question that most readers — and even chefs — get wrong. Is a pea in a pod, a fruit or vegetable? The simplest way to identify if produce is a fruit or a vegetable, is that fruit have seeds. So tomatoes, pumpkin, corn kernals, capsicum and cucumber are all technically fruit, as are olives and avocado as they have one seed at their centre. Although we eat peas as a vegetable, the pea itself is one of many seeds of the pea pod, so botanically they are actually fruit. And like most fruits we eat as vegetables, peas are deliciously juicy and sweet. Now you know why.
Don’t let the pea’s classification or humble size fool you. The pea plant, along with producing flavourful and nutritious fruit, has played significant roles in world history.
Today’s gardeners grow several varieties of this cool-season legume and people from around the globe savour the sweet, tiny, round pods fresh, in soups, salads and other dishes. But despite their innocuous appearance, the plants weren’t always considered suitable for eating. In ancient times, peas were thought to be poisonous!
Legend has it that Norse god Thor used these legumes as a weapon, but peas’ other well-known purpose had to do with a genetic experiment that profoundly impacted scientific understanding.
Origin of peas
According to Washington State University studies, archaeologist have unearthed peas in ancient tombs and discovered old literature and drawings describing peas.
The Chinese believe Emperor Shu Nung, discovered pea plants about 5000 years ago. Characterised as the “Chinese father of agriculture,” Nung explored the country looking for edibles to sustain the populace and plants that might be used for medicinal purposes. As with others, he took a liking to peas only after he fed them to his dog and then to a servant to ensure they weren’t poisonous.
This very early experimentation with strange foods is one of the reasons the Chinese eat just about anything today, including virtually every living creature with a heartbeat. Thank goodness Emperor Nung discovered something more appetising than spiders, dogs and scorpions that are delicacies of many Chinese provinces!
Legend of Thor
Most will be familiar with the fantasy superhero Thor, the hammer wielding Norse god of thunder and lightning depicted in the popular Marvel cartoon movies of the same name.
But did you know Thor’s relationship with peas in the legend? In Norse mythology, Thor gave peas to humans as a punishment, not as a gift
One version of the legend says that he sent flying dragons to use peas to fill up and foul all of the water wells on Earth. The dragons weren’t so accurate at dropping peas from high above, and some of the peas landed on fertile ground around the wells, accidentally giving the people a new vegetable. To calm and flatter the even angrier Thor, the mortals dedicated the legume to him and ate peas only on his day, Thursday.
Legend says Thor was not one of the kinder gods but in his anger to control and scare the populous, he helped introduce peas into kingdom’s diet.
Migration of peas
Even after the fruit became a well-known edible, it took a while for their popularity to catch on. The Washington State University research says the Romans preferred chickpeas and other protein-packed fruit over peas.
Peas were consumed most often during the Lenten season in the Middle Ages. But their portability and minimal storage requirements encouraged future eating. Peas were dried and stored, just like beans and lentils. American settlers ate them as a staple on their Atlantic crossing and considered them an essential as they settled in the New World. Peas were one of the first crops to be planted in the colonies.
Contribution to science
Some Fijians may turn their noses at peas and walk straight past the lady peeling peas at the market, but scientists grant a lot more respect for the enormous role the little green legume seeds played in the history of genetics. Working in the solitude of an Austrian monastery, a 19th-century holy man managed to unravel the basic principles of heredity with just a handful of pea species that he bred and crossbred, counted and catalogued with monastic discipline.
While plant and animal genes were Gregor Mendel’s original focus, his ideas later made sense of our complex human workings too, kicking off the scientific discipline of genetics. Today, Mendel is revered as the father of genetics, but the Austrian’s work on heredity didn’t initially make the kind of big splash in the science world achieved by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Mendel wasn’t a traditional scientist, but the genes of the ancient pea plant gave him greater understanding of human genetics.
Grow more peas
A visit to most local outdoor markets will reveal plenty of peas being separated from their pods from the hard working farmers who bring us these delicious fruits of their labour. Why buy the imported frozen or tinned peas when fresh Fiji grown peas are readily available? Even better, why not grow your own?
A variety of seeds including peas and beans can be purchased from shops like Hop Tiy near MHCC in Suva, or Marco Polo at Garden City Suva. Once planted, peas need little attention other than watering and harvesting.
Pests and diseases are rarely a problem, particularly if disease-resistant varieties are planted. Just keep an eye out for aphid insects on the pea plants and get rid of them with a sharp spray of water from the garden hose or with crushed dried egg shells sprinkled over your garden (keep your egg shells and bake in an oven for 15-20 mins on 150 degree Celsius, then crush into tiny pieces).
Once germinated, peas adapt well to the humid climates like that experienced along the Coral Coast and Suva.
Finally a story I want to share with you. I bumped into a reader who said the most odd thing to me in the supermarket. “Chef, eating all this fresh food is very expensive. It’s cheaper to eat tinned foods with instant noodles.”
I asked if she grew her own vegetables and herbs to supplement the cost of meats and seafood and was shocked to hear her say that she didn’t have time! But I think my answer shocked her even more. I said that for a country that places family first, it’s strange that you would not find the time to encourage your family to grow more produce at home, if not to save money on shopping, but to ensure your children grow up with less likelihood of disease. Some people still don’t get the link between what they eat and the diseases of cancers, heart disease and diabetes.
* Lance Seeto is the multi award winning chef at Mana Island Resort and Spa, culinary ambassador for Fiji Airways, and host of Fiji TV’s “Taste of Paradise”.
