Southern Style Cream Peas
The word "beans" and "peas" are used interchangeably in Southern cooking. Technically, these are beans.
Not to be confused with Creamed Peas, as in the Kitchen Tapestry’s recipe for British Pub Creamed Peas, Cream Peas (i.e., present tense) produce their own delicious creamy broth, known in culinary terms as pot liquor. Cream Peas are popular in the South to this day, and for good reason. They're versatile and delicious.
Technically, they are not peas at all, but beans. Peas are round and mostly green. Beans, on the other hand, can be a wide variety of colors and shapes. To be clear, peas and beans are both edible seeds harvested from inside a pod belonging to the same seed family called Fabaceae. Peas, however, are usually referring to the round seed of the species Pisum Sativum. Said differently, all peas are beans, but not all beans are peas. No matter, the terms peas and beans have been used interchangeably in the South for generations.
Cream Peas, which is the subject of this post, generally refers to a variety of bean cultivated throughout the South known as cow peas or field peas, so named because they were grown as a rotational crop in the fields instead of in kitchen gardens.
According to a Southern Living article, "Eat Your Peas":
"Dozens of different types [of field peas] —what we now call heirloom selections—were grown in Southern communities that valued them for their flavor and ability to flourish in local conditions. Families and neighbors often saved the seeds and passed them down through the generations. We still have heirloom types in the South with charming, descriptive names such as Whippoorwill, Dimpled Brown Crowder, Turkey Craw, Washday,…and Old Timer."
Basically, field peas fall into four major groups: Crowder, Purple Hull, Zipper and Lady. The latter includes a popular variety known as White Acre Cream Peas. Lady Peas generally have a neutral color with a sweet, nutty flavor and produce a delicious, clear pot liquor.
Southern Style Cream Peas
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried Lady Cream Peas (like, Camillia)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 6-8 oz salt pork, cubed (you can substitute thick cut bacon)
- 4 tsp powdered chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 8 cups water plus 4-5 more cups
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large stock pot or Dutch oven with the 8 cups of water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes.
- Set the heat on low, cover the pot with the lid askew to prevent boiling over, and allow peas to simmer for 2 hours.
- The liquid level after 2 hours will be low, and the peas will have doubled in size, so add 4-5 more cups of water.
- Return the pot to a rolling boil, cover, then back off the heat to a simmer for another 2 hours.
- Stir occasionally throughout cooking process.
Notes
- Add 12 ounces of diced ham, and spoon over cornbread for a complete meal.
