Legume
Black-Eyed Pea
Black-eyed pea is a cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) with a pale seed and dark hilum eye, used in Southern US, West African, Brazilian, and Mediterranean cookery. Creamy and earthy, it holds shape in hoppin' john, akara, and stews. Related crowder peas and other cowpeas share the species. Dried and canned forms are common; fresh purple-hull types appear seasonally.
Also known as: Black-Eyed Pea, Cowpea / Beans, Feijão-fradinho, Lobia / Chawli, Feijão frade
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History
Cowpeas were domesticated in Africa and became a foundational Sahelian and West African pulse.
Atlantic trade carried black-eyed peas to the Americas with African foodways.
Southern US cookery made black-eyed peas a New Year and everyday staple with rice and greens.
Canned black-eyed peas and global dry trade expanded availability beyond traditional regions.