Peas

Peas play a very important role in the human diet. Since ancient times, this legume crop has been famous for its unique taste, special nutritional value and richness.

In ancient India and China, peas were considered a symbol of wealth and fertility, and in ancient Rome and Greece they occupied a significant place among other products: they were often used both in dishes prepared for kings and were the food of ordinary commoners.

Read also:

• Benefits and harms of peas
• Pea Recipes

Today, the variety of dishes made from peas is amazing. Dozens of delicious dishes can be prepared from this plant: boiled peas, grated, fried in oil, pea porridge with meat, pea soup, stew or jelly, pea pancakes, cutlets, sausage and much more. It is safe to say that peas are the leader among other vegetables in protein content, as well as the nutritional value and energy they provide. According to modern nutritionists, an adult should eat at least four kilograms of green peas per year.

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Pea varieties

Peas are one of the most ancient vegetable crops. Initially, this plant was widespread in Holland, and then gained popularity in other European countries - France, Germany, Spain, etc. This legume crop is a self-pollinating plant, the fruit of which is a green bean. Of the two main groups of peas - fodder and vegetable - only the latter is used for human food. There are three vegetable varieties of peas, each of which has special culinary properties:

• peeling,
• cerebral,
• sugar.

Shelling peas are most often used to prepare soups, stews, porridges and other dishes. This type of pea is grown to obtain green peas, which are used for canning. The brain variety of pea is used for the same purpose; its beans are wrinkled peas that are very sweet. When cooked, the beans of the brain variety do not become soft, so they are not suitable for making soups. The pods of the sugar pea variety are eaten whole. This variety is grown for the sake of the "shoulder blades" - unripe beans that are eaten without shelling.

Peas are suitable for consumption both fresh and frozen or canned. Most often they are added to borscht, soups, stews, salads, pates, omelettes, and are also used to prepare side dishes for fish and meat dishes. Some of the most common varieties of peas are: "Alpha", "Viola", "Oscar", "Emerald", "Premium", "Matrona", "Nicholas", "Ashton" and others. Each of these varieties has its own characteristics, purpose and growing methods. All varieties are distinguished by a high protein content. In addition, this legume crop contains essential amino acids, mineral salts and a balanced group of vitamins.

Composition of peas

Peas contain many useful components. One green pea contains vitamins B, H, C, A and PP, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus salts, as well as dietary fiber, beta-carotene, starch, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, pea beans are rich in antioxidants - useful substances that delay oxidation. Peas contain protein, as well as such important minerals for the human body as iodine, iron, copper, fluorine, zinc, calcium and many others.

Dry peas contain: proteins ‒ 23%, fats ‒ 1.2%, carbohydrates ‒ 52%, and the energy value of peas per 100 grams of edible part is 298 kcal. Green peas are considered a dietary product, in which: proteins ‒ only 5%, and carbohydrates ‒ 13%, with glucose and fructose making up half of all carbohydrates.

Peas contain large amounts of selenium, which has a pronounced anti-carcinogenic effect. In addition, young green peas are able to "block" the entry of a number of harmful radioactive metals into the human body. Traditional medicine uses this legume for various purposes. For example, with the help of pea flour poultices, you can get rid of inflammatory infiltrates, acne, boils, abscesses and other skin problems. It should be noted that due to its unique composition, peas reduce the development of cancer, as well as hypertension, stroke, heart attack, and help slow down the processes of age-related skin aging.

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Caloric content of peas

Peas are considered a low-calorie dietary product, although they contain enough calories to saturate the body - an average of 300 kcal per 100 grams of product in dry form. In composition, peas are very similar to meat. The vegetable proteins contained in it are absorbed much faster than meat proteins. Due to these properties, peas can be used as an auxiliary natural remedy to prevent the development of anemia. Regular consumption of peas helps to reduce weight, since this product has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, "establishing" the work of the stomach and intestines, and also improving the absorption of nutrients by the body. Pea grains contain a lot of fiber, which successfully helps the body cleanse the intestines of toxins, slags and other harmful substances. Therefore, this type of legume crop is of interest to people who monitor their body weight.

The calorie content of peas depends on the type of product: dried crushed peas contain more calories (348 kcal/100 g) due to the increased carbohydrate content, while boiled peas contain less calories – 115 kcal/100 g. The calorie content of dried whole peas is 340 kcal, and fresh green peas – 280 kcal. Green canned peas contain the fewest calories – only 55 kcal.

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Technological map of peas

The prevalence of such a crop as peas is due to both its unique beneficial properties and simple cultivation technology. The main objective of growing all legumes is to increase the level of gross harvest, improve soil fertility, and increase the supply of vegetable protein.

The technological map of peas consists of the name and volume of work associated with the cultivation of this product, the composition of the unit and service personnel, cost calculations and the economic efficiency of growing this crop.

The main feature of pea cultivation is its short vegetation period, which allows this crop to be sown in many countries of the world, including Ukraine. It should be noted that peas are an early maturing, undemanding, cold-resistant crop that occupies a leading position among other legumes in terms of yield. Southwest Asia is considered the birthplace of peas, and later this crop began to be actively grown in Southern Europe. Peas are more than two thousand years old.

Peas are rightfully considered a valuable food and forage crop. The use of high-quality agricultural technology in Ukraine allows you to get a seasonal pea harvest, on average, more than 4 tons. It is important to note that peas, like many other leguminous crops, contribute to the accumulation of useful nitrogen in the soil. In addition, after harvesting, many pea root residues remain in the soil, which contain phosphorus, potassium, calcium and other microelements. These are the factors that influence the use of this crop as an intermediate link in agronomic planning of crop rotation (alternation) between cereal and industrial crops. The following sowing sequence can often be traced: cereal crop ‒ a certain variety of peas ‒ industrial crop. It is important to take into account that after sowing peas, a high yield of corn is formed, as well as winter wheat, sugar beets and other crops. To improve the productivity of peas, effective biopreparations are used during sowing. Thus, one of the mandatory conditions is pre-sowing treatment of pea seeds with special nitrogen-fixing preparations.

For full growth of peas, it is important to use deep plowing of the soil - up to 25 centimeters. Thanks to such plowing, there is an increase in soil aeration, and this, in turn, has a positive effect on the growth of the root system of peas, and also contributes to an increase in moisture reserves in the soil. As for the need of the leguminous crop for heat, it is low: pea seeds can germinate at a temperature of 12 ° C; at the same time, the soil moisture level in order to ensure an optimal pea harvest should be from 70 to 80%. The sowing period for peas coincides with the sowing time of early spring cereals. This is explained by the fact that peas are a moisture-loving and cold-resistant plant, and late sowing can significantly reduce the yield. Of course, in the process of caring for pea crops, it is necessary to take appropriate measures to effectively destroy weeds. The best results in the fight against field pests and plant diseases are achieved with separate harvesting of this crop. Mowing is carried out when 75% of the pea beans have turned yellow and the seed moisture content is 40%. After harvesting and thoroughly cleaning the seeds, the peas need to be checked for damage by pests, in particular, the pea weevil.

How to soak peas?

Peas must be thoroughly soaked before consumption. One of the main reasons why people do not want to include this legume in their diet is the long cooking time. In general, the cooking process of peas can take half a day, but this problem should not prevent you from enjoying hearty, tasty pea dishes.

"How to soak peas?" - this question may interest every inexperienced housewife. The answer is simple: in cold water for 6-18 hours. Why does it take so long? The fact is that peas contain many types of starch. Slow evaporation of moisture converts starches into forms necessary for long-term anabiosis. It is because of such hard forms of starch that peas take a long time to cook. However, it should be noted that pea kernels contain special enzymes that, when exposed to moisture, begin to convert hard starches into forms more suitable for germination and, accordingly, facilitate cooking. It is for this reason that it is recommended to soak peas in water before eating. The main thing is not to overexpose them to the state of souring.

During the first six hours of soaking, oligosaccharides are additionally removed from the peas. They are practically not processed by gastric juice, but are a good nutrient medium for bacteria living in the rectum. Oligosaccharides cause the well-known "pea" effect of flatulence. During the soaking process, the amount of oligosaccharides gradually decreases, and with each hour there are fewer of them, which makes eating peas safer for the stomach.

Before soaking the peas in water, they need to be sorted and darkened particles removed. To do this, scatter the peas on a hard surface and then level them to a layer of one pea. They should be soaked exclusively with cold water, the level of which should be 2 cm above the peas. First, you need to thoroughly mix the peas in the water, and after they settle, pour out the first batch of water. Primary washing allows you to get rid of process dust, especially for crushed peas. Repeated washing with water allows you to completely clean the peas from debris, dust and unsuitable particles. After washing, they should be left alone to swell completely. The soaking time for whole peas is 8 hours, crushed peas are soaked less - 4-6 hours. After this time, the water should be completely drained, and only after this procedure is the peas ready for further cooking.

How to cook peas?

The technology of cooking peas is quite simple, but it requires the mandatory implementation of a number of sequential actions. You can cook a variety of dishes from peas. The main thing is to correctly follow the step-by-step instructions of the recipe.

One of the most important stages of cooking this legume is preliminary soaking. This stage helps soften the peas, subsequently speeds up the cooking process and basically determines the taste of the finished dish.

It is recommended to soak peas overnight exclusively in cold water, which should cover all the peas by about two centimeters. The soaking time is at least 6-8 hours, and if the container with soaked peas is placed in the refrigerator, then even longer. Soaked peas must be rinsed again and again filled with cold water in a ratio of 1:3, then put on the stove. The total amount of time for cooking peas is about an hour and a half. During the cooking process, you can only add boiling water, and before boiling, you should remove the foam from the water in time. The fact is that if you do not remove the foam from the boiled peas in time, it will acquire an unpleasant grayish tint.

Sometimes it is necessary to cook peas without pre-soaking. In this case, the following express cooking method will come in handy for housewives. The pea beans should be thoroughly washed, covered with cold water and brought to a boil. Then the water should be drained, the peas should be washed, covered with cold water and brought to a boil again. This procedure should be done three times, after which the peas should be cooked until done. It is recommended to use salt at the very end of cooking, ‒ this way it will not allow the peas to completely boil. When preparing pea puree or cream soup, it is necessary to obtain a homogeneous mass, so the peas should be thoroughly kneaded while they are still hot. Taking this nuance into account will prevent the formation of lumps.

How long to cook peas?

Peas are a unique legume crop that is simply irreplaceable in cooking. Peas can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes: both first courses (soups, stews) and second courses (porridge, mashed potatoes), as well as jelly, pancakes, various snacks and even tea.

There is no single answer to this question – it all depends on the type and variety of peas, as well as the hardness of the water. For example, whole peas need to be cooked for an hour and a half, while split peas usually cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The age of the peas also matters: the cooking time for “old” peas can reach 2 hours.

When cooking peas, it is necessary to take into account important rules:

• the pan must be open;
• Before cooking, peas should be soaked in cold water;
• When soaking peas, it is important not to keep them in water for too long, so that they do not turn sour;
• if the pea groats are soft, they can be added immediately when cooking the meat (the cooking time in this case will be one and a half hours);
• When cooking, you can add ¼ teaspoon of soda (per glass of peas) - thus, the cooking time for crushed peas will be 1 hour, and for whole peas - an hour and a half.

Peas must be tasted before the end of cooking. Peas are usually cooked in a multicooker without soaking. For this, the "Stew" mode is used, and the cooking time is 2 hours.

How to cook peas?

Peas can be used not only for making soup or porridge, but also for making a wide variety of dishes. The most important thing is that such dishes will not only be tasty, but also healthy, since this wonderful representative of legumes is a rich source of protein, contains many microelements and useful vitamins. It is simply irreplaceable during heavy physical exertion, and during Lent, hearty and nutritious dishes made from peas will decorate the diet of every family.

This question interests many housewives. This product can be used to prepare salads (canned peas are most often used for this purpose). For example, such popular salads as Olivier and Vinaigrette are prepared with the help of peas. By the way, in addition to using peas, you can also put whole pea pods in a salad.

Common dishes include pea soups and purees, as well as porridges, kissels, side dishes, meatballs, cutlets, and pancakes. Peas can be used as a filling for pies, and can also be added to various mushroom dishes (julienne, ragout, etc.). Pea flour is an excellent ingredient for making delicious flatbreads, noodles, and bread.

It should be noted that peas have long been considered a traditional ingredient in dishes in many different countries around the world. Thus, a fairly common dish in the Caucasus is pea soup with lamb called "bozbash". In Armenia, the sweet soup chirapur, which is made from peas and dried apricots, is popular. Pea kulesh, a national dish of Ukrainians, is a kind of cream soup that is often served with cracklings.

To prepare a tasty porridge or soup from peas, before cooking, the peas must be soaked in cold water, otherwise the porridge will be tasteless. Peas can be combined with other cereals: for example, pea porridge with millet will be much tastier. If you add fried carrots and onions to pea porridge, the taste will be even stronger. It is advisable to combine pea soup with dill to avoid bloating and excessive gas formation. In addition, it is not recommended to drink cold water immediately after eating pea dishes.

How to cook peas in a slow cooker?

Peas are a unique product that can be used to prepare all sorts of dishes in a multicooker. For example, many housewives share recipes for making delicious pea puree - an incredibly light and tasty side dish that goes well with any poultry or meat dish. In addition to its excellent taste, this puree has nutritional properties. Of course, the whole family will love this dish.

The recipe for puree is quite simple: you need to take 1 cup of peas and soak them overnight, or start cooking them right away. To do this, you need to put the washed peas in the multicooker bowl and pour 2.5 cups of water so that it completely covers the peas, add salt. Next, you need to turn on the "Stew" mode for an hour and a half (for multicookers that have a power of 700 watts or less). Add 50 grams of butter to the finished pea puree. Such a hearty puree tastes like thick pea soup-puree.

You can cook pea porridge in a multicooker. You don't need to pre-soak the peas in water, because they will boil quickly. It's better to use spring or purified water, then the cooking process will go faster. First, rinse the peas and put them in the multicooker, then pour hot water so that the cereal is covered by a couple of centimeters. Then you need to season and salt the cereal, turn on the "Stewing" option and cook the porridge for 2 hours. During this time, the peas will boil well, and the porridge will turn out very tasty, especially if you season it with butter and fresh dill.

Treatment with peas

Peas have found their wide application not only in cooking for preparing various dishes, but also in folk medicine, as they have a number of healing properties. There are many effective recipes from peas that will help get rid of health problems. Even the simple introduction of this legume into the diet will have a beneficial effect on a person's well-being.

Treatment with peas is very effective. According to modern research, pea proteins contain many essential amino acids, thanks to which high blood pressure can be reduced. Glutamine amino acid, which actively nourishes brain cells, is especially valuable; it is also found in peas. In addition, peas contain a complex of vitamins and essential minerals, of which iron, calcium, selenium, magnesium, etc. are of particular importance for the human body. The increased content of fiber in peas helps to quickly remove harmful toxins from the body, as well as reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.

Peas are very useful for cardiovascular diseases, as well as anemia and hypovitaminosis. Since they help lower blood pressure, they help with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and are also indispensable for edema, diabetes, dry cough, tuberculosis. Peas in any form are recommended for protein deficiency and decreased blood clotting, various kidney and liver diseases, bleeding gums, hemorrhoids and age-related constipation, as well as shortness of breath.

It has been proven that peas also have an antitumor effect, and the beneficial substances contained in green peas, both canned and frozen, are involved in the process of slowing down skin aging. A decoction of pea grass has an effective diuretic effect. This remedy promotes better dissolution of stones in urolithiasis. To reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, as well as in hypertension or atherosclerosis, dry peas must be ground in a coffee grinder to a flour state. This flour must be taken 1 teaspoon an hour before meals three times a day, washed down with half a glass of water. Usually the course of treatment is 10 days, after which it is necessary to take a week's break, and then repeat the treatment again.

For heartburn, it is recommended to eat 3-4 peas (both soaked in water and fresh). Pea puree is useful for stomach ulcers: it should be taken 2 tablespoons twice a day before meals. Kidney and urolithiasis are well treated with an infusion of pea grass: 2 tablespoons of the herb should be poured with one and a half glasses of boiling water, infused for an hour and filtered. This decoction should be consumed 2 tablespoons 4 times a day a few minutes before meals.

For inflammatory skin processes (pimples, purulent wounds, eczema), it is recommended to take young peas: it must be crushed to a mushy state and mixed equally with raw egg white, and then the resulting mixture applied to the inflamed area, covered with a thin film and secured with a bandage. It is recommended to change such a bandage 2-3 times a day.

It should be remembered that pea treatment can sometimes be contraindicated. First of all, this is due to its ability to cause flatulence. That is why people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases should refrain from regularly eating peas, both raw and cooked. In addition, peas contain purines, so their use is highly undesirable for any disorders of mineral metabolism in the body. For this reason, peas should be excluded from the diet for gout, since it is due to this disease that the amount of uric acid in the blood increases and urates are deposited in the joints. Frequent consumption of peas is contraindicated in conditions after a stroke or heart attack, increased blood clotting, and thrombophlebitis.

Peas for diabetes

Peas are not only tasty, but also nutritious: they contain many vitamins and useful microelements. This plant is not simple, because it has a number of healing properties. Peas contain substances necessary for diabetics, for example, arginine - a substance that acts almost the same way as insulin. When creating a menu for diabetics, the main rule is to select products that help reduce blood sugar.

Peas are really very useful for diabetes. Of course, this product cannot replace the full effect of medications, but it can create conditions for more effective absorption of drugs, as well as enhancing their therapeutic effect. Due to the low glycemic index of peas (only ‒ 35), there is a slow absorption of sugars in the intestine. Based on this, we can confidently say that peas protect a person from glycemia.

For the preparation of a healing decoction for diabetics, green young pods are especially valuable. 25 grams of young pods must be chopped with a knife, poured with 1 liter of water, and simmered for 3 hours. This decoction should be drunk in equal parts throughout the day. The duration of the treatment course should be at least 1 month.

Ripe peas are usually eaten raw. These small green balls contain a lot of vegetable protein, which serves as an alternative to animal proteins. Pea flour also has beneficial properties. For diabetes, it is useful to eat it in portions before meals - 0.5 teaspoon. Frozen green peas are very useful for diabetics, which can form the basis of a healthy diet in the winter.

Strict nutrition is one of the important conditions for the treatment of diabetes. You can safely introduce pea soup into the diabetic menu. Fresh green peas are best suited for preparing this dish. But it is also permissible to eat this product in dry form. It is advisable to cook this soup in beef broth. Moreover, the first water during cooking must be drained, after which the meat must be poured with cold water again and continue cooking the dish. Thus, pea soup for diabetics should be cooked in a secondary broth. During the cooking process, potatoes are added to it, as well as onions and carrots fried in butter. As a result, pea soup turns out rich, nutritious and very tasty.

At what age can you eat peas?

Peas contain a whole complex of vitamins, a large amount of protein, and also microelements necessary for the body. It helps to activate the work of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and brain. The unique properties of this representative of legumes put it among the most useful food products.

Many mothers are interested in the question: "At what age can peas be given to children?" As a complete dish, pea porridge or soup is recommended to be introduced into the baby's diet only after 1-2 years. However, if a six-month-old child eats 1-2 spoons of such soup, there will be no harm to the body. Pea dishes, like any new products, should be introduced into the baby's diet gradually, starting with 1-2 serving spoons. In this case, you need to observe the child's reaction. It should also be taken into account that peas, like other legumes, are considered dietary food. Despite the fact that it contains a lot of protein, which is useful for the body, it can cause excessive gas formation.

How to cook pea soup for the benefit of a child? First of all, it is better to take vegetable broth as a basis for this dish, but you can also use meat broth. In this case, it is advisable to choose lean meat pulp and chop it finely. First, the meat pieces must be put in a saucepan with cold water, and after boiling, take it out, drain the water, then rinse the meat again with cold water and pour boiling water over it. After slowly boiling for half an hour, the broth will be ready. In order for the peas to boil better, they must be soaked in cold water in the evening. All the ingredients prepared for cooking pea soup must be put in a saucepan in descending order of the time required for their preparation: first of all, peas, then carrots, potatoes and onions. Young mothers are advised to cook pea soup puree in this way. It will be easier for the baby to eat, and his stomach will cope with the processing of food.

To prepare a "light" pea soup, it is best to use green peas in any form - fresh or frozen. A dish made from green peas will be 100% dietary and will suit even children under 3 years old. Such pea soup can be introduced into the diet of children after 6 months. However, some products are still not recommended for use in preparing pea soup. Among them are fatty meat and smoked meats, various hot spices, as well as bouillon cubes.

Peas are one of the healthiest foods, and this should be kept in mind when planning your menu. Especially since the variety of pea dishes allows you to choose the best option based on your individual taste preferences.

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