Black-eyed peas

Grown by farmers as rotational crops to put nitrogen back into the soil, field peas are in fact beans. And it's more than worth it to seek out this seasonal, ...

One of the most popular ways to eat field peas is in Hoppin’ John, the iconic rice and peas dish rooted in the Gullah Geechee culture of South Carolina. Hoppin’ John usually consists of peas and rice simmered in a broth flavored with a ham hock or, more recently, a smoked turkey wing. Field peas are a large category of legumes. The arrival of field peas in the United States coincides with the Middle Passage of enslaved people from West Africa, and most traditional Southern ways of cooking field peas are derived from African preparations of soups and stews.