Rediscovering dried peas

Cinzia Cuneo 20 ottobre, 2012 legumi

Once very common in the basic Quebecois diet, dried peas had become so neglected that the younger generations are not familiar with them at all. And yet this is a delicious and nutritious food that could be rediscovered in our traditional pea soup. It could also be mixed with curry, cumin and coconut, as it is done in Indian cuisine, where it is known as “dhal”.

Dried peas are sold whole or split in half for easy cooking, but these are simply peas that have been allowed to grow, mature and dry before being shelled. Some varieties, yellow and green, have been selected especially for this purpose.

Unlike other legumes, dried peas require no soaking. Since they turn soft during cooking like red lentils, you can obtain a puree, sauce or soup, depending on the amount of liquid added.

Try our recipe for Split Pea Soup

Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 20, 2012.

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.