Dixie Lee pea

Last updated
Dixie Lee pea
Species Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.
Cultivar group 'Unguiculata'
Cultivar Crowder type
Marketing names Dixielee Pea [1] and Dixie-lee pea [2]
Origin North Carolina

The Dixie Lee pea is an heirloom variety of cowpea popular in the Carolinas, although prevalent throughout most of the American south. [3]

Contents

History

Prelude

The centre of diversity of the cultivated cowpea is West Africa, leading an early consensus that this is the likely centre of origin and place of early domestication. [4] Charred remains of cowpeas have been found in rock shelters located in Central Ghana dating to the 2nd millennium BCE. [5] By the 17th century cowpeas began to be cultivated in the New World via the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, being used as slave food and provisions. [6] [4]

Origin

The origin of the word Dixie is unknown but since its first use in 1859; it has referred to someone from the South, akin to the use of Yankee in the North. [7] Like the name implies and similar to that of the history of the Iron and Clay pea it was a popular variety in the Confederate states of America. [8] After the Civil War Dixie Lee peas kept many southerners from starving to death, prior to which cowpeas were solely reserved as livestock feed and slave food. [9] [10]

Cultivation

They prefer to grow in light sandy soils. [1] They are harvested from June in North Carolina. [11]

Culinary use

They are mainly grown for their medium-sized, edible bean. [12] The pod is green in colour, [12] slender and can be up to 7 inches long. [13] When cooked the peas turn brown, [14] and are very sweet to the taste. They can be used in various recipes including with ham hock and onions, [1] [15] or on the barbeque. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bean</span> Seed of one of several genera of the plant family Fabaceae

A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes) which are used as vegetables for human consumption or animal food. The seeds are often preserved through drying, but fresh beans are also sold. Most beans are traditionally soaked and boiled, but they can be cooked in many different ways, including frying and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes throughout the world. The unripe seedpods of some varieties are also eaten whole as green beans, which can be eaten raw, as well as edamame, but fully ripened beans contain toxins like phytohemagglutinin and require cooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pea</span> Species of flowering plant with edible seeds in the family Fabaceae

Pea is a pulse, vegetable or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name Pisum sativum in 1753. Some sources now treat it as Lathyrus oleraceus; however the need and justification for the change is disputed. Each pod contains several seeds (peas), which can have green or yellow cotyledons when mature. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and develop from the ovary of a (pea) flower. The name is also used to describe other edible seeds from the Fabaceae such as the pigeon pea, the cowpea, the seeds from several species of Lathyrus and is used as a compound form for example Sturt's desert pea.

<i>Phaseolus</i> Genus of legumes

Phaseolus is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legume</span> Plant in the family Fabaceae

Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, but also as livestock forage and silage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-eyed pea</span> Subspecies of cowpea plant

The black-eyed pea or black-eyed bean is a legume grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. It is a subspecies of the cowpea, an Old World plant domesticated in Africa, and is sometimes simply called a cowpea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mung bean</span> Species of plant

The mung bean or green gram is a plant species in the legume family. The mung bean is mainly cultivated in East, Southeast and South Asia. It is used as an ingredient in both savoury and sweet dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowpea</span> Species of plant

The cowpea is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus Vigna. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inputs, as the plant's root nodules are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it a valuable crop for resource-poor farmers and well-suited to intercropping with other crops. The whole plant is used as forage for animals, with its use as cattle feed likely responsible for its name.

<i>Vigna</i> Genus of plants

Vigna is a genus of plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. It includes some well-known cultivated species, including many types of beans. Some are former members of the genus Phaseolus. According to Hortus Third, Vigna differs from Phaseolus in biochemistry and pollen structure, and in details of the style and stipules.

<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> Species of plant

Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, along with other Phaseolus species, is as a member of the legume family, Fabaceae. Like most members of this family, common beans acquire the nitrogen they require through an association with rhizobia, which are nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

<i>Vigna subterranea</i> Species of plant

Vigna subterranea is a member of the family Fabaceae. Its name is derived from the Bambara ethnic group. The plant originated in West Africa. As a food and source of income, the Bambara groundnut is considered to be the third most important leguminous crop in those African countries where it is grown, after peanut and cowpea. The crop is mainly cultivated, sold and processed by women, and is, thus, particularly valuable for female subsistence farmers.

<i>Vigna aconitifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Vigna aconitifolia is a drought-resistant legume, commonly grown in arid and semi-arid regions of India. It is commonly called mat bean, moth bean, matki or dew bean. The pods, sprouts and protein-rich seeds of this crop are commonly consumed in India. Moth bean can be grown on many soil types, and can also act as a pasture legume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asparagus bean</span> Legume cultivated for its edible pods

The asparagus bean is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as: yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, snake bean, bodi, and bora. Despite the common name of "yardlong", the pods are actually only about half a yard long, so the subspecies name sesquipedalis is a more accurate approximation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green bean</span> Unripe, young fruit of cultivars of the bean

Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean, although immature or young pods of the runner bean, yardlong bean, and hyacinth bean are used in a similar way. Green beans are known by many common names, including French beans, string beans, and snap beans or simply "snaps." In the Philippines, they are also known as "Baguio beans" or "habichuelas" to distinguish them from yardlong beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crop wild relative</span> Wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant

A crop wild relative (CWR) is a wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant. It may be a wild ancestor of the domesticated (cultivated) plant or another closely related taxon.

Pea beans are several types of common food plants producing beans:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Island red pea</span> Subspecies of cowpea plant

Sea Island red pea is an heirloom landrace of cowpea from the Gullah corridor of the Sea Islands. They are an integral part of Gullah cuisine and have been listed on the Ark of Taste.

<i>Callosobruchus</i> Genus of beetles

Callosobruchus is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, the leaf beetles. It is in the subfamily Bruchinae, the bean weevils. Many beetles in the genus are well known as economically important pests that infest stored foodstuffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adzuki bean</span> East and south Asian crop

Vigna angularis, also known as the adzuki bean(Japanese: 小豆, azuki, Uncommon アヅキ, adzuki), azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in East Asia have a uniform red color, but there are white, black, gray, and variously mottled varieties.

<i>Vigna luteola</i> Species of legume

Vigna luteola, commonly known as the hairy cowpea and the Nile bean, is a perennial vine found in many tropical areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arroz de fríjol cabecita negra</span>

Arroz de fríjol cabecita negra is a rice-based dish from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia that utilizes black-eyed peas as the legume, differing from other rice dishes that are usually prepared with different legumes such as beans, peas, lentils, and Pigeon peas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nancy Jackson Pleitt Fenner Descendants of Thomas William Holland and Milley Boyett , p. 400, at Google Books
  2. "A pea is a pea, or IS IT?".[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Yu, Kaila (6 August 2019). "The Ultimate Guide to Dixie Lee Peas | NomList" . Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  4. 1 2 Ogunkanmi, L. A.; Taiwo, A.; Mogaji, O. L.; Awobodede, A.; Eziashi, E. E.; Ogundipe, O. T. (2005–2006). "Assessment of genetic diversity among cultivated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) cultivars from a range of localities across West Africa using agronomic traits". Journal Sci. Res. Dev. 10: 111–118.
  5. D'Andrea; et al. (2007). "Early domesticated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) from Central Ghana". Antiquity. 81 (313): 686–698. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00095661. S2CID   161301311.
  6. Perrino, P.; Laghetti, G.; Spagnoletti Zeuli, P. L.; Monti, L. M. (1993). "Diversification of cowpea in the Mediterranean and other centres of cultivation". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 40 (3): 121–132. doi:10.1007/bf00051116. S2CID   41138930.
  7. "dixie | Origin and meaning of the name dixie by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  8. "Cowpeas please! The History and Importance of the Cowpea Plant - Dave's Garden". www.davesgarden.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  9. Yu, Kaila (6 August 2019). "The Ultimate Guide to Dixie Lee Peas | NomList" . Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  10. "Beans and Field Peas | University of North Carolina Press ~ Sandra A. Gutierrez | Preview". flexpub.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  11. Stephen, Paul (8 July 2013). "A field guide to field peas". starnewsonline.com. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  12. 1 2 Douglas C. Sanders (1997-09-01). "Southern Peas". North Carolina State University. Archived from the original on 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
  13. 1 2 Sandra A. Gutierrez Beans and Field Peas: a Savor the South® cookbook , p. 49, at Google Books
  14. Susan Slack (2009-09-28). "Farmer's Market Report: Dixie Lee Peas" . Retrieved 2011-06-26.
  15. Fred Thompson Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides: 250 Dishes That Really Make the Plate , p. 219, at Google Books