Carribbean Rice And Pidgeon Peas

Pigeon peas are just another type of pea. Around here they grow on good size
trees and are called gandules. I've read they are classified as tree-type,
tall and dwarf and apparently new hybrids are available that are similar in
height to southern peas and beans. They grow in pods like other peas. I
usually use canned when making arroz con gandules but they are also
available dried and frozen. In season, they are available fresh in the pod
in supermarkets and from stands along the side of the road. I found this
interesting historical tidbit. All the pigeon peas I've seen are green when
fresh.

"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...."

Garry