Black-eyed pea

Black Eyed Pea

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Black-eyed pea

The black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean, "??" , lobiya (Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
: ?????), feijão-frade (Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
), börülce (Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other parts of Eastern Europe....
), Chavali/???? (Marathi),thatta payir (Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has Official language in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore....
), alasandee (Kannada), mavromatika ("blackeyeds," in Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
), louvi (Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
), and d?u tr?ng (Vietnamese

Vietnamese language

Vietnamese , formerly known under French colonization as Annamese , is the national language and official language language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of the Vietnamese people , who constitute 86% of Demographics of Vietnam, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese, most of whom live in the United States....
), is a subspecies of the cowpea

Cowpea

The Cowpea is one of several species of the widely cultivated genus Vigna. Four cultivated subspecies are recognised:*Vigna unguiculata subsp....
, grown around the world for its medium-sized edible bean

Bean

Nutrition Facts

??????? Nutrition Facts
Calories in ???????
Carbs in ???????
Fat in ???????

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Encyclopedia

The black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean, "??" , lobiya (Arabic

Arabic language

Portugal

Turkish language

Tamil language

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
), louvi (Cyprus

Cyprus

Vietnamese language

Cowpea

Bean

Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genus of the Family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed.The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw....
. The bean mutates easily, giving rise to a number of varieties. The common commercial one is called the California Blackeye; it is pale-colored with a prominent black spot. The currently accepted botanical name is Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata, although previously it was classified in the genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
Phaseolus
Phaseolus

Phaseolus is a genus in the family Fabaceae of about fifty plant species, all native to the Americas.At least four of the species have been domestication since pre-Columbian times for their beans....
. Vigna unguiculata subsp. dekindtiana is the wild relative and Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis is the related asparagus bean. Other beans of somewhat similar appearance, such as the "frijol ojo de cabra" ("goat's eye bean") of Northern Mexico, are sometimes incorrectly called "black-eyed peas" and vice versa.

History

Originally native to Africa, but widely grown in many countries in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, the black-eyed pea was introduced into the West Indies and from there to the Southern United States

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
as early as the 1600s in Virginia. Most of the black-eye pea cultivation in the region, however, took firmer hold in Florida and the Carolinas during the 1700s, reaching Virginia in full force following the American Revolution. The crop would also eventually prove popular in Texas. Throughout the South, the black-eyed pea is still a widely used ingredient in soul food

Soul food

Soul food is an American cuisine, a selection of foods, and is the traditional cuisine of African-Americans of the Southern United States and of black communities beyond....
and various types of Southern U.S. cuisine. The planting of crops of black-eyed peas was promoted by George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver , was an United States scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor whose studies and teaching revolutionized agriculture in the Southern United States....
because, as a legume

Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
, it adds nitrogen

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
to the soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
and has high nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
al value. Black-eyed peas are an excellent source of calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
(211mg in a 1 cup

Cup (unit)

The cup is a Units of measurement for volume, used in cooking to measure bulk foods, such as granulated sugar , and liquids . It is in common use in the United States and nations influenced by them, such as Japan....
serving), folate (209mcg), and vitamin A

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, a bi-polar molecule formed with bi-polar covalent bonds between carbon and hydrogen, is linked to a family of similarly shaped molecules, the retinoids, which complete the remainder of the vitamin sequence....
(1,305 IU) among other nutrients.

Culture

The heat-loving crop is seeded after the danger of frost is past and the soil is warm. Sandy loam is preferred, but at least the soil should be well-drained, as the plants cannot stand excessive water. They are a drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation ....
-tolerant crop.

The crop is relatively free of pest

Pest (animal)

A pest is an organism which has characteristics that are regarded by humans as injurious or unwanted. This is most often because it causes damage to agriculture through feeding on crops or parasitising livestock, such as codling moth on apples, or boll weevil on cotton....
s and disease. Root-knot nematode

Root-knot nematode

Root-knot nematodes are plant-parasitism nematodes from the genus Meloidogyne. They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters....
s can be a problem, especially if crops are not rotated. As a nitrogen fixing

Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen is taken from its relatively inert molecular form in the Earth's atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds ....
legume, fertilization can exclude nitrogen three weeks after germination.

The blossoms produces nectar plentifully and larger areas can be a source of honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners...
. Because the bloom attracts a variety of pollinator

Pollinator

A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female carpel of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain....
s, care must be taken in the application of insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects in all developmental forms. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the Egg and larvae of insects respectively....
s to avoid label violations

Pesticide misuse

Under United States laws, pesticide misuse is the use of a pesticide in a way that violates laws regulating their use or endangers humans or the environment; many of these regulations are laid out in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ....
.

Traditional use

In the American South

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the new year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome ....
is thought to bring prosperity in the Southern United States

Southern United States

Bacon

Bacon is a cut of meat taken from the sides, belly, or back of a pig, then Curing , Smoking , or both. Meat from other animals, such as beef, Lamb and mutton, chicken, goat, or turkey , may also be cut, cured, or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon....
, ham bones, fatback

Fatback

Fatback is the layer of fat along the back of a pig, used as a cut of meat. It is often used to make lard. Fatback is a traditional part of Cuisine of the Southern United States and soul food, where it is used for pork rinds or cracklins, and to flavor stewing vegetables such as greens and black-eyed peas....
, or hog jowl), diced onion, and served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavored vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
.

The traditional meal also features collard

Collard greens

Collards are various loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea , the same species that produces cabbage and broccoli. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, greens and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro, Spain and in Kashmir....
, turnip

Turnip

The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock....
, or mustard

Mustard plant

Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as Mustard ....
greens, and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion. Cornbread

Cornbread

Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads containing cornmeal. As maize is native to North America, it is not surprising that the various kinds of cornbreads are more prevalent in the New World....
also often accompanies this meal.

These "good luck" traditions supposedly date back to the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman was an United States soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemente...
, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock, and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and field corn suitable only for animal fodder, and didn't steal or destroy these humble foods.

Worldwide

The "good luck" traditions of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
(compiled ~500 CE), Horayot 12A: "Abaye

Abaye

Abaye was a Rabbi of the Jewish Talmud who lived in Babylonia [???], known as an amora [?????] born about the close of the third century; died 339 ....
[d. 339 CE] said, now that you have established that good-luck symbols avail, you should make it a habit to see Qara (bottle gourd), Rubiya (black-eyed peas, Arabic Lubiya), Kartei (leeks), Silka (either beets or spinach

Spinach

Spinach is a flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm....
), and Tamrei (dates) on your table on the New Year." A parallel text in Kritot 5B states that one should eat these symbols of good luck. The accepted custom (Shulhan Aruh Orah Hayim 583:1, 16th century, the standard code of Jewish law and practice) is to eat the symbols. This custom is followed by Sepharadi and Israeli Jews to this day. In the United States, the first Sepharadi Jews arrived in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
in the 1730s and have lived there continuously since. The Jewish practice was apparently adopted by non-Jews around the time of the Civil War.

Traditional uses worldwide

Rice and peas

Rice and Peas is the mainstay of the Cuisine of Jamaica and is traditionally, but not exclusively, eaten with the Sunday dinner. The dish is made with rice and any available legume, such as red kidney beans, pigeon peas , or cowpeas....
is a popular dish in Jamaica

Jamaican cuisine

Cuisine of Jamaica contains cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from each of the many waves of immigration to the island. Today, dishes which grace nearly every Jamaican menu include curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee and salt fish , fried plantain, "Jamaican jerk spice", steamed cabbage and "rice and peas" ....
and other Caribbean Islands. In the American South, a variation of this dish is called "Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John

File:Hoppin-john-bowl.JPGHoppin' John is the Southern United States' version of the rice and beans dish traditional throughout the Caribbean. It consists of field peas also known as and rice, with chopped onion and sliced bacon, seasoned with a bit of salt....
," made of black-eyed peas cooked with rice

Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
and pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word, pork, is often meant to denote specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but it can be used as an all-inclusive term, to include cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry dating back...
.

Texas Caviar, another traditional dish in the American South, is made from black eyed peas marinated in Italian salad dressing and chopped garlic, and served cold.

In Portugal

Portugal

Cod

Cod is the common name for the genus of fish Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes....
and potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family. The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well....
es, with tuna

Tuna

Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tunas are fast swimmers?they have been clocked at 70 km/h ?and include several species that are warm-blooded....
, and in salads.

In Vietnam, black-eyed peas are used in a sweet dessert called chè d?u tr?ng (black-eyed peas and sticky rice

Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky and not in the sense of containing gluten; on the other hand, it is called sticky but should not be confused with the other varieties of Asian rice that become sticky to one deg...
with coconut milk

Coconut milk

Coconut milk is a sweet, milky white cooking base derived from the meat of a mature coconut. The color and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high coconut oil content and sugars....
).

In Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
and Cyprus

Cyprus

Lemon

The lemon is the common name for Citrus limon. The reproductive tissue surrounds the seed of the angiosperm lemon tree. The lemon is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world....
.

In the northern part of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, they are used to prepare a fritter called "buñuelo." The beans are immersed in water for a few hours to loosen their skin and soften the bean. The skins are then removed either by hand or with the help of a manual grinder. Once the skins are removed, the bean is ground or blended and eggs are added which produces a soft mix. The mix is fried in hot oil. It makes a nutritious breakfast meal.

Cultural references

The Southern band R.E.M.'s song "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by R.E.M. . It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain....
" includes the phrase "a can of beans or black eyed peas, some Nescafé
Nescafé

Nescaf? is a brand of instant coffee, made by Nestl?. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestl?" and "caf?"....
and ice."

In the song "Cornbread" by the Freestyle Fellowship, rapper Aceyalone
Aceyalone

Eddie Hayes, better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an United States rapper.He is a founding member of the Freestyle Fellowship. Apart from his role in Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone is also a member of Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team , and he is a co-founder of Project Blowed ....
includes the phrase "black eyed peas with a lot of Tabasco
Tabasco

Tabasco is a States of Mexico in Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west, Chiapas to the south, and Campeche to the north-east....
" into a list of things he likes.

In the song "Goodbye Earl
Goodbye Earl

"Goodbye Earl", written by Dennis Linde, is a country music song. Initially recorded by the band Sons of the Desert for an unreleased album in the late 1990s, the song gained fame when it was recorded by the Dixie Chicks on their second studio album, featuring Natalie Maines as lead vocalist on Sony's Monument Records label; Fly ....
" by The Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks

The Dixie Chicks are a country music group, comprising three women; Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, and Emily Robison. Together, they have sold over 36 million albums as of March 2009....
, poisoned black-eyed peas are fed to an abusive husband by his wife and her best friend.

The vegetables are also mentioned in Bobbie Gentry
Bobbie Gentry

Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is an American singer-songwriter. Gentry was one of the first female country music to write and produce her own material....
's 1967 ballad "Ode to Billie Joe
Ode to Billie Joe

Ode to Billie Joe is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry, a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi, Mississippi....
": Papa said to Mama as he passed around the black-eyed peas, "Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense; pass the biscuits please."

The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas are an United States hip hop music group from Los Angeles. As of 2009, the group is composed of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie ....
are a three-time Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop group from Los Angeles.

In the song Soulville (sung by many soul and motown artists, including Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music....
) the outro lyrics include the line "I'm talking 'bout the black-eyed peas, down in soulville."

Gallery

External links

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network
Germplasm Resources Information Network

Germplasm Resources Information Network or GRIN is an online software project of National Genetic Resources Program of USDA to provide germplasm information about plants, animals, microbes and invertebrates....
- (GRIN) Online Database . National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. (16 July 2005)
Porcher Michel H. et al. 1995 - 2020, Sorting Vigna Names. Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (M.M.P.N.D) - A Work in Progress. School of Agriculture and Food Systems. Faculty of Land & Food Resources. The University of Melbourne. Australia. (2005).

Black-eyed pea

History

Culture

Traditional use

In the American South

Worldwide

Traditional uses worldwide

Cultural references

Gallery

See also

External links