57 minutes ago, liuzhou said:And English peas baffles me! What are they⁈
I think this is a green pea as opposed to an edible dried pea and the fact that many of the modern varieties were developed by breeders in England. Maybe?
Peas date back to ancient times and are believed to be native to Europe and parts of Asia. Cultivation of peas however is thought to have begun in the seventeenth century when plant breeders in England began developing new and improved varieties of garden peas. The modern english pea was named as such due to the plethora of new varieties that were breed there. Because of their long shelf life dried peas traveled to the new world with explorers and became one of the first crops grown by early colonists.
https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/English_Peas_2012.php
This explanation sounds plausible.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/peas.html
Garden peas were not common until the 18th century. Toward the end of the 17th century they were still such a rare delicacy that fantastic prices were sometimes paid for them in France.
"This subject of peas continues to absorb all others," Madame de Maintenon wrote in 1696. "Some ladies, even after having supped at the Royal Table, and well supped too, returning to their own homes, at the risk of suffering from indigestion, will again eat peas before going to bed. It is both a fashion and a madness. "
The English developed fine varieties; hence the common designation "English peas" in America.
