Our yellow and green peas come mainly from Eastern Europe, the USA and the Netherlands. They are a good source of protein and have a high level of nutritional value.
Processing
Processing peas is only possible in special mills (hulling mills). First of all they are thoroughly cleaned and any dirt and grime (sand, stones, foreign matter) is removed. They are then sorted and moved on to the hulling mill. In the next step, polishing, it can happen that the riper peas split. These are of course in their nutritional value in no way inferior to whole peas, but in fact have a high nutritional value due to their ripeness; they are sold as split peas. They are then heated to make their starches more digestible. Then, they are dried, ready for packaging.
Nutritional analysis
Not only are pulses combined with vegetables and fruit dishes a truly healthy food for everybody but they also make a most welcome change on the menu. Peas are high in nutrients and have a relatively high energy value.
in% | Fat | Protein | Carbohydr. | Salts | Fibre | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dried peas peeled | 1.9 | 23.4 | 52.7 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 13.6 |
Pea flour | 1.8 | 25.7 | 57.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 10.4 |
Energy per 100 g: |
|
|---|---|
Dried peas | 330 kcal |
Pea flour | 362 kcal |
Potato flour | 95 kcal |
Use
Despite their high nutritional value, dried peas do not get used very often in everyday cooking due to their long cooking times: unpeeled dried peas take 2 – 3 hours of cooking, peeled ones c. 1 ½ hours.
Of course there are dried peas in powdered soup mixes which have been treated and only take c. 15 minutes to cook.
