Pease pudding

For the nursery rhyme, see Pease Porridge Hot.

Pease pudding

Pease pudding with olive oil drizzled on top
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Pease pottage, pease porridge
Place of origin	England
Details
Type	Pudding
Main ingredient(s)	Split yellow or Carlin peas, water, salt, spices

Pease pudding, also known as pease pottage or pease porridge, is a savoury pudding dish made of boiled legumes, typically split yellow or Carlin peas, with water, salt, and spices, and often cooked with a bacon or ham joint. A common dish in the north east of England, it is consumed to a lesser extent in the rest of Britain, as well as in Newfoundland, Canada.

Dish

Pease pudding is typically thick, somewhat similar in texture to hummus, and is light yellow in colour, with a mild taste. Pease pudding was traditionally produced in England, especially in the industrial North Eastern areas. It is often served with ham or bacon and stottie cakes. It is also a key ingredient in the classic saveloy dip which consists of a bread roll spread with pease pudding on one half, sage and onion stuffing on the other with a slight smear of mustard and a saveloy sausage cut in half and then dipped gently into either the stock the saveloys are boiled in or gravy, only the top half is usually dipped as not to make it difficult to hold or eat. In Southern England it is usually served with faggots. Also in Southern England is the small village of Pease Pottage which, according to tradition, gets its name from serving pease pottage to convicts either on their way from London to the South Coast or from East Grinstead to Horsham.

Peasemeal brose, also known as brosemeal, is a traditional breakfast dish in the north of Scotland. In Scotland it is made in the traditional way and usually eaten with butter, and salt or honey. In parts of the Midlands it replaces mushy peas and is eaten with fish and chips and is thought to be the original side order only later replaced with mushy peas due to a lack of knowledge or availability of the dish.

Regional variations

The dish is a traditional part of Jiggs dinner in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

In German-speaking countries, pease pudding is known under the name Erbspüree or Erbsenpüree. Alternative regional names are Erbsbrei or Erbsmus. It is especially widespread in the traditional cuisine of the German capital Berlin. The best-known German dish which is traditionally served with pease pudding is Eisbein.

In Beijing cuisine, Wandouhuang (豌豆黄) is a sweetened and chilled pease pudding made with yellow split peas or shelled mung beans, sometimes flavoured with sweet osmanthus blossoms and dates. A refined version of this snack is said to have been a favourite of Empress Dowager Cixi.

In Greek cuisine, a similar dish is called Fava (Φάβα). Despite the name, it is usually made from yellow split peas, not Fava beans. The mashed peas are usually drizzled with olive oil and topped with chopped raw onions.

Recipe

Generally recipes for pease pudding involve steeping soaked split yellow peas in stock (traditionally ham hock stock) and cooking them for around 40 minutes. The resulting mush is then blended with other ingredients, which depend on the variation. The oldest known written recipe for something similar to pease pudding involves saffron, nutmeg and a little cinnamon in the blending process; modern recipes sometimes beat in an egg at this point to act as an extra binding agent.

In popular culture

Pease pudding is featured in a nursery rhyme, Pease Porridge Hot.

See also

• Daal
• List of porridges
• Mushy peas
• Pea soup
• Porridge
• Pottage