The only commercially grown pulses in the UK seem to be the
- Pea (Pisum sativum)
- Fava bean = broad bean = field bean (Vicia faba)
http://periodpeasants.weebly.com/the-medieval-garden.html:
- Peas and Beans would have been
the bulk crop for a medieval gardener representing the highest yield to seed
ratio available, with some ancient varieties like the Martock Bean offering a
better return than medieval wheat. Peas and Beans dry well and would be stored
to keep the family fed throughout the winter.
● During the Middle Ages, dried peas became a staple food
of the European peasants. In their dried form peas had the capability of long
storage throughout the winter months. They were inexpensive and plentiful and
made a filling wholesome meal the poor could afford.
● Peas became a familiar Lenten dish not only in France,
but in England, too. Lent was not the only time that peas were a staple on the
English menu. During the mid-1700's, major changes occurred in England's
agricultural laws, designating large plots of farmland to private farming
estates. King George III's Enclosures Act denied access to the poor, who relied
on small pieces of land to grow enough to feed their families. Unable to grow
their own vegetables, they turned to simple foods like dried peas that could be
purchased cheaply.
● During the reign of English King James I, 1566 to
1625, a shopkeeper could be heard touting his wares in the streets of London,
"Hot Grey Peas and a suck of bacon."
● More than 1,000 varieties of peas are in existence
today, (some producing green peas, some yellow). Countries like France, China,
Denmark, and Russia lead in the production of dried peas, with the U.S.,
England, Hungary, and India mainly producing fresh peas. China's fresh peas
consist mostly of snow peas.
● During the early 1600's the pudding cloth, a closely
woven cotton or linen cloth, became a vessel that afforded more creativity to
English cooking. Dried peas were soaked before going into the pudding cloth
along with sugar, pepper, and mint. The pudding cloth was then tied and boiled
in water to produce a very thick, solid Pease Pudding. Eventually, puddings
were lightened with the addition of breadcrumbs, eggs, and butter.
● To cook dried split peas, no soaking is needed. Simply
put 1 cup (240 ml) into a saucepan, add 4 cups (1 liter) of water, and bring to
a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to simmer, and cook about 50 to 60
minutes or until tender. Additional water may be needed to prevent the peas
from cooking dry. Green split peas tend to break down after 60 minutes of
cooking, creating a pleasantly thick soup base.
● For cooking split yellow peas, follow the same method
as for green split peas. However, they take slightly longer to become softened.
Cook about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
● Cooked dried peas make an ideal thickening agent for
soups and stews.
In Middle English,
"Pease" was treated as a mass noun, similar to "oatmeal",
and the singular "pea" and plural "peas" arose by
back-formation.
An annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. Archaeologists have discovered traces of pulse production around Ravi River (Punjab), the seat of the Indus Valley civilization, dating circa 3300 BC. Meanwhile, evidence of lentil cultivation has also been found in Egyptian pyramids and dry pea seeds have been discovered in a Swiss village that are believed to date back to the Stone Age. Archaeological evidence suggests that these peas must have been grown in the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia regions at least 5,000 years ago and in Britain as early as the 11th century. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common use these distinctions are not clearly made, and many of the varieties so classified and given below are also used as vegetables, with their beans in pods while young; cooked in whole cuisines; and sold for the purpose; for example, black eyed beans, lima beans and Toor or pigeon peas are thus eaten as fresh green beans, or cooked as part of a meal. Pulses are important food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen.
Health:
Pulses provide
protein, complex carbohydrates, and several vitamins and minerals. Like other
plant-based foods, they contain no cholesterol and little fat or sodium. Pulses
also provide iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and other minerals, which play a
variety of roles in maintaining good health.
Pulses are 20
to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content
of wheat and three times that of rice. While pulses are
generally high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is also high,
they often are relatively poor in the essential amino
acid methionine. Grains consumed
along with pulses form a complete diet of protein.
Pulses have
significant nutritional and health advantages for consumers. They are the
most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different
ethnicities, and in the Seven Countries Study, legume consumption was
highly correlated with a reduced mortality from coronary
heart disease. Furthermore, pulses are
especially high in amylose starch making them a good source of prebiotic resistant
starch.
For people
with diabetes, consuming lentils, peas and beans helps control blood glucose
management. Compared with some other carbohydrate sources, pulses have a lower
glycemic index. Studies have also shown that consuming pulses can result in
more stable blood glucose levels after meals.
Gemma's Venn diagram, inviting us to address this dilemma: what foods are there that are ethical, cheap and fun? Gruel is ethical and cheap, Bouja Bouja ice cream is fun and ethical, a MacDonald's Happy Meal is fun and cheap. How do we find foods that are all three?
Here, Rebecca modelling the latest in sustainable extravagance; Urban
Harvest cocktails made with foraged ingredients. The gin and vodka is UK
sourced, the sugar for the syrups is not.
Nick Saltmarsh from http://www.greatbritishbeans.co.uk/ came to talk about the very lovely fava bean which he is able to sell and distribute in the UK. It was a tale of fickle dietary fashions, the insanity of 'boomerang' food trading and of exciting taste bud opportunities as we rediscover these little nuggets. I hadn't realised that lots of the beans we grow are exported to countries like Egypt. Are we buying them back as falafel?
