Split pea

About

Green split peas are sweeter and more strongly flavored than lentils, and unlike most green vegetable soups, which rely on potato for body and depth, they contain enough natural starch and potato-like flavor to make a satisfying soup with just salt added. Yellow split peas have a similar but less rich flavor and typically need other ingredients, such as tomato, to make a satisfying soup. Peasemeal, made from ground yellow field peas, is mixed with hot water to make the Scottish dish brose; the food writer Catherine Brown notes it is stronger-tasting than Scottish oatmeal or beremeal, making it better suited to dates or apricots than to sharp fruits. It is still produced at the Golspie Mill in the Scottish Highlands.

Pairs well with split pea

• CiLemonLemon juice is added to louvana, a Cypriot yellow split pea soup whose lightly eggy, sulfurous flavor recalls avgolemono, the Greek…
• EaPotatoCooked with just butter, salt and pepper, mushy green split peas taste close enough to mashed potato that potato is unnecessary in a split…
• FrTomatoTomato pairs better with yellow split peas than green, particularly in soup; cream of split pea and tomato soup was historically served in…
• CrCoconutIn Hong Kong, yellow split peas are set into sweetened coconut to make a polka-dot pudding; the peas are cooked separately in water first…
• BeMintMint and split pea is a traditional British pairing, though the reason for it is unclear, theories include easing digestion, brightening a…
• BrMisoMiso soup has a savory, salty-sweet quality similar to ham broth, which makes it a useful flavor booster in split pea soup: red miso is…
• SpPeppercornGreen split peas need little more than seasoning, salt, white pepper and butter, to carry a soup or purée.
• GrParsleyGreen split peas have flavors reminiscent of ham, eggs and fries, which made them popular during Lenten fasting; parsley is a natural herb…
• GrChileGreen chile's flavor overlaps with garden pea, making a natural match with green split peas.
• EaRyeRye bread is a natural side for split pea soup, and also makes sturdy croutons that resist going soggy.
• EaBarleyAt the Copenhagen restaurant Noma, cooked barley inoculated with koji culture is used to make 'peaso' -- miso-making techniques applied to…
• CiTurmericYellow split peas resemble chana dal but lack its strong sulphurous tang; turmeric masks the difference, making split peas a workable…
• GrSorrelSorrel, sometimes called the "vinegar plant," was traditionally added to green split pea soup as a spring aromatic during Lent, alongside…
• MuTurnipA well-known 19th-century French soup combined turnip with fresh green peas, and turnip was a common addition to the aromatic base (with…