Carouby de Mausanne

Thursday, 10 September 2009 12:52

Although it's not widely available commercially, this vintage "cabbage type" pea Carouby de Maussane has been enjoying a small-scale renaissance among heritage vegetable enthusiasts and is now one of the easier varieties to seek out. The pods are truly enormous. I don't personally know of any other pea with pods anywhere near as large, and although mine took a while to start producing, once they start off they get very big very quickly. Remarkably they retain their flavour even when they reach a huge size, and although they do start to go a bit stringy it's very easy to pull off the strings, leaving the rest of the pod with a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. Maybe a little too tender for some tastes ... if you like your mangetouts crisp and crunchy then this isn't the variety for you, as the pods are very soft indeed after cooking. Cook them too much and they're borderline mushy. They don't develop any fibre layer at any stage, which is unusual. Pod flavour is old-fashioned, strong and robust ... what I would call a 'green' flavour with a hint of bitterness. But I did find the flavour varied considerably from pod to pod (irrespective of size) with some a lot tastier than others, which makes it difficult to give a meaningful description. Eight peas per pod is about average. Not that it makes much difference if you're eating the whole pod. Seeds are brownish and dimpled. Remarkably they retain their flavour even when they reach a huge size, and although they do start to go a bit stringy it's very easy to pull off the strings, leaving the rest of the pod with a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. Maybe a little too tender for some tastes ... if you like your mangetouts crisp and crunchy then this isn't the variety for you, as the pods are very soft indeed after cooking. Cook them too much and they're borderline mushy. They don't develop any fibre layer at any stage, which is unusual. Pod flavour is old-fashioned, strong and robust Carouby de Maussane is extremely attractive in the garden. Even at the seedling stage, it has a graceful form and deep pink splodges of pigmentation in the leaf axils. The plants grow to around 5ft tall and need something to cling to, producing dark and fleshy leaves and closely curled tendrils. The flowers are exceptional, although they don't open up fully (a rare trait, Golden Sweet being one of the few other peas that does this). The colour is very intense and goes through various changes. Young flowers are a deep dusky pink, maturing through purply shades to a lovely sky blue. The wing petal, which is much less visible than on other pea varieties, is deep velvety maroon. Flowers are borne in pairs, and curled downward slightly so you have to get down on a low level to see inside them. There is a strong dark veining on the backs of the petals, which greatly adds to their attractiveness. Go to table of pea varieties

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 September 2009 13:08