Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Sugar snap and snow peas are alternatives to delicate English peas. They are classed
by the ag folks with the unpoetic though descriptive tag "edible pod peas." These are both
venerable varieties, in which the pod is as sweet as the pea (or nearly so, anyway). Both
fell out of favor in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, only to be re-
introduced in the foodie 1970s - snow peas by a thousand Chinese restaurants, and sugar
snaps by the enthusiastic marketing of a plant breeder named Calvin Lamborn, who had
developed an improved variety.
Lamborn had the bright idea to cross a "sport" pea plant that had formed very hard,
tightly sealed walls with the snow pea. His version, introduced in 1979, was so successful
that the name "sugar snap," which originally applied only to his specific variety, has now
become acceptable for generic use. Previously, these peas had been called "sugar peas" or
"butter peas."
Snow peas have flat pods; sugar snaps are rounded. Sugar snaps tend to be exuberant:
crunchy and very sweet. Snow peas are somewhat subtler. Both will almost always be
sweeter than all but the best English peas. This is not because they withstand storage bet-
ter, but because they start out with more sugar and so are better able to afford the inevitable
degradation that storage brings. Although they may be sweeter, neither variety captures
the full green "pea" flavor of English peas or favas. Both should be cooked only briefly, if
at all. More than a minute or two of blanching or stirfrying, and the advantages are lost.
English Peas and Favas
WHERE THEY'RE GROWN : Neither fresh English peas nor fava beans are
grown widely enough to be tracked statistically. English peas are grown for drying, can-
ning and freezing in several states, but predominantly Minnesota, Washington and Ore-
gon. They are also imported from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search