Black peas facts for kids

Black peas are a special type of cooked pea. People also call them parched peas or dapple peas. They are made from purple-podded peas (Pisum sativum var. arvense).

This dish is a traditional food from Lancashire, a county in England. People often eat black peas with lots of malt vinegar. It's especially popular around Bonfire Night (November 5th). You can find them in towns like Bury, Preston, Rochdale, Oldham, Wigan, Bolton, Tyldesley, and Heywood.

To make black peas, the dried peas are first soaked in water overnight. Then, they are slowly cooked until they become soft, a bit like mushy peas. The word "parching" used to mean long, slow boiling.

These peas are actually field peas, which means they are left to dry on the plant. This is different from garden peas, which are picked when they are green and fresh. Another similar type of pea is the Carlin pea. It's prepared in a similar way and has been eaten in northern England for a long time, even since the 12th century! Some stories say that explorer Martin Frobisher buried these peas on Baffin Island in the 1570s to feed his team while they looked for the Northwest Passage.

Eating Black Peas

You can often buy cooked black peas at fairgrounds and from mobile food stalls. People usually eat them from a cup with salt and vinegar. They can be served hot or cold. Hot black peas are very popular when it's cold outside.

In the past, at fairgrounds, black peas were served in white porcelain mugs with a spoon. Nowadays, you'll usually get them in thick white disposable cups. At the famous Bury Market and in Preston, you can buy parched peas already cooked. They are sold in brown-paper bags or plastic tubs, especially in autumn. You might also find them at the Manchester Christmas markets.

Black peas are mostly eaten in certain parts of Lancashire. This includes places like Oldham, Wigan, Bury, Rochdale, Preston, Stalybridge, Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, and Bolton.

Carlin Peas

Carlin peas are another interesting type of pea. They are also known as carling, maple, brown, or pigeon peas (but they are not the same as the tropical pigeon pea Cajanus cajan). Sometimes they are called black or grey badgers. These peas are small, hard, and brown. People first wrote about them during the Elizabethan era in England.

Some people think the name "Carlin" comes from "Carling Sunday" or "Care Sunday." This is because the people of Newcastle were saved from hunger during a siege in 1327 or 1644. A ship arrived from Norway on that day with a cargo of these peas.

Carlin peas are considered a very old or "heritage" type of pea. They are sometimes called "medieval mushy peas." You can grow them in a similar way to sweet peas. The plants can grow quite tall, up to about six feet, and have white and purple flowers. The pods fill with small brown peas that can be used fresh or dried.

Carlin peas are used to make a dish in the northeast of England and parts of Cumbria. They are a traditional food for Carlin Sunday, which is the Sunday before Palm Sunday. To prepare them, Carlin peas are boiled until they are soft. Then, they are quickly fried with butter or dripping. It's important not to add salt while they are cooking, because salt can stop them from getting soft. After cooking, they are seasoned with vinegar and black pepper, or sometimes with rum and brown sugar. You can eat them hot or cold.

There's an old children's rhyme that counts the Sundays of Lent: "Tid, Mid, Misere; Carlin, Palm, Pace-Egg Day." This rhyme refers to different Sundays and traditions, including Carlin Sunday and Palm Sunday, leading up to Easter Sunday with Pace Eggs.

Carlin peas are good for you! They are low in fat and have a lot of protein and fiber (about 23g per 100g). They also contain important minerals like manganese and molybdenum, and B vitamins, especially B1. Their red-blue color comes from things called anthocyanins, which are good for your health.

Where to Find Them

Black peas are only available at certain times of the year. You can usually find them from the end of October and throughout November. You can buy them at local shops. Sometimes, you might even find them at pet shops because they are also used as carp bait. However, peas from pet shops are not always safe for people to eat, so it's best to buy them from food stores.

Carlin peas are not as easy to find in British shops. You might see them in health food shops. You can buy them dried to cook at home in at least two types: "Red Fox" and "Black Badger." The "Black Badger" variety is also sold in cans with water. A product from Hodmedod's (a company that sells pulses and grains) won an award in 2016 for being a great "Store cupboard item" and the overall winner in the "Pantry" category.