Interestingly, pigeon peas have a reputation for being slightly narcotic...possibly accounting for especially deep naps after dinner....
§ Home § Search § FoodTales § Any comments?
Pigeon Peas
(Cajanus cajan)
This pulse apparently began life in Africa, though its antiquity in other parts of the ancient world leave its certain origin open to speculation. Alphonne de Cadolie considered it native to tropical Africa, from Zanzibar to Guinea--and, indeed, it is also known as red gram, congo pea, and congo bean.. But it has been discovered in Egyptian tombs, datable to between 2,200 and 2,400 BCE. And it has been important to the cuisines of India and Ceylon for millennia (where it's known as arhar, tur, toor, or tuvaram), apparently carried there by traders. Sir Joseph Hooker, in his Flora of British India (1872 - 1897) reported it as cultivated up to elevations of 2,000 meters in the Himalayas. Today it is especially popular in Caribbean foodways...as gunga or gungo pea.
The pea itself ranges from red to white, from brown to black, and it also comes in mottled shades. Most often it's found in its dried form. But it's delicious fresh, and its fresh pods can be prepared as a green vegetable. Interestingly, pigeon peas have a reputation for being slightly narcotic...possibly accounting for especially deep naps after dinner....