Black Eyed Peas, commonly known as cowpeas are small, black colored kidney-shaped beans which are from the family of leguminous plants. In the southern states of the United States, it is also referred to as Southern Peas or Field Pea. Black Eyed Pea seeds belong to Fabaceae family and considered under genus name Vigna. The Botanical scientific name of the Cowpea is Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.
Related to Mung Bean, Black(1) Eyed Peas are cultivated since pre-historic times in India and China for their nutritional benefits. In Southern America, Black Eyed Peas symbolizes as “Coins”. They called it a bit of good luck to eat Cowpea on New Year’s Eve with green Collards, which symbolizes “Money”.
Black Eyed Pea is a drought-tolerant bush, that usually grows in sandy soils with small, purple and white flowers, which ultimately grows into a long cylindrical pod with 5-15 seeds in it. With almost 42 percent of proteins in 100 grams of seeds, Black Eyed Peas contains foods that are very much essential to achieve your daily requirements of the proteins.
It also carries 28 percent of dietary fibers per 100 grams which acts as a strong laxative and also keeps the colon mucosa free from cancer-causing chemicals.
[Also Read: Green Peas Benefits for Health]
Along with lots of fresh vegetables and Black-Eyed Peas, this salad tastes better upon longer refrigeration time.
Yellow and Red bell pepper finely chopped, half onion finely chopped, 2 Jalapeno chilis finely chopped, four cans of black-eyed peas (rinsed and drained), Red wine vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, Olive oil, Parsley, Black pepper, Salt, Garlic, Crumbled cooked bacon, etc.
[Read: White Pepper vs Black Pepper]
One can of Black Eyed Beans (rinsed and drained), Cilantro chopped, three green onions chopped, two tomatoes diced, two spoons sugar, Olive oil, Garlic, Salt, Balsamic vinegar, etc.
One-pound Black Eyed Beans, One-pound pork neck bones, three slices bacon, 1 cup each of Diced onions, Celery, Carrot, and Garlic, Thyme, ground cumin, Black pepper, Diced tomatoes, Salts, Diced Smoked ham, and Cold Water.
[Read: Health Benefits of Green Beans]
Although Black Eyed Peas have various benefits, they also bring along some side effects.
Black Eyed Peas are a great source of dietary fibers and act as a laxative and improve bowel movements and maintain the health of the colon. Upon consumption of the Black Eyed Peas, some people may complain about a large amount of intestinal wind which gets passed from the anus.
This condition is known as Flatulence. Flatulence would include indigestion and intolerance of the food.
Flatulence, a condition was studied in detail in the Arizona State University by their School of Nutrition. The perception of excessive gas generation after consuming the Black-Eyed Peas foods in three separate adults’ groups was examined.
The results of this study were published in the Nutritional Journal. Only 19 percent of the adults from the group complained about the formation of excessive gas after eating Black Eyed Peas. Hence, in conclusion, the concerns about the Flatulence are slightly exaggerated.
There are various benefits of the Black-Eyed Peas which make them mandatory in our diets. Black Eyed Peas food materials do not cause Lectin toxin poisoning (Clumping of RBCs). It also grows in all varieties of the soil and is the annual plant; the supply of Black-Eyed Peas is not the primary concern.
Although they are called peas, they are beans. These peas are essential as they fix the atmospheric nitrogen into the soil and increase the nitrogen content in the ground, making the soil more favorable for different plants.
The Black-eyed peas food benefits for humans include improving digestion, preventing anemia, promoting skin and eye health, lowering blood pressure, etc. They can be cooked quickly and added to salads, soups, and curries. Also, they can be mashed into dips.