Carlin

Saturday, 12 September 2009 13:30

Carlin Peas - also known as Maple Peas, Brown Peas, Pigeon Peas and even Black badgers and Grey Badgers -are an ancient pea or marl, recorded in the reign of Elizabeth 1. Perhaps it's the most ancient variety. This is a tall gray/brown pea with sweetly scented bright purple-red flowers. The name derives from the English holiday of Carlin Sunday which derives from the old English Care or Carle Sunday, the second Sunday before Easter. In a tradition dating to the 12th century, peas were given to the poor on this occasion They almost certainly originated in the gardens of the early Middle Ages monasteries, when peas and beans formed a huge part of the staple diet. They grow to about six feet high, and boast attractive purple and white blossom, and they crop prolifically. The peas, which can be used fresh, or dried for winter use, have a distinctive flavour, often described as a mediaeval mushy pea. Carlin peas are better known in the north of England. In the Northeast traditionally children were given them to eat on Carlin Sunday, after a special church service, a little like Harvest Festival. In Nottingham the cooked peas were sold at the annual Goose Fair until the late fifties. Go to table of pea varieties