Snow pea

Snow pea
Snow pea on the plant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Lindl.
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Pisum
Species: Pisum sativum
Variety: P. sativum var. saccharatum
Trinomial name
Pisum sativum var. saccharatum

The snow pea (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum) is a legume, more specifically a variety of pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe. The name mangetout (French for “eat all”) can apply both to snow peas and to snap peas.

In food

Snow peas, along with sugar snap peas and unlike field and garden peas, are notable for having edible pods that lack inedible fiber[1] (in the form of "parchment", a fibrous layer found in the inner pod rich in lignin[2]) in the pod walls. Snow peas have the thinner walls of the two edible pod variants. Two recessive genes known as p and v are responsible for this trait.[1] p is responsible for reducing the schlerenchymatous membrane on the inner pod wall, while v reduces pod wall thickness (n is a gene that thickens pod walls in snap peas).[3]

The stems and leaves of the immature plant are used as a vegetable in Chinese cooking, stir-fried with garlic and sometimes combined with crab or other shellfish.[4]

Snowpeas
Snow peas (Pisum sativum)
Nutritional value per 100g
Energy 176 kJ (42 kcal)
7.55
Sugars 4.00
Dietary fiber 2.6
0.2
2.8
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
(6%)
630 μg
740 μg
Vitamin A 1087 IU
Thiamine (B1)
(13%)

0.150 mg

Riboflavin (B2)
(7%)

0.08 mg

Niacin (B3)
(4%)

0.6 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5)
(15%)

0.75 mg

Vitamin B6
(12%)

0.16 mg

Folate (B9)
(11%)

42 μg

Vitamin B12
(0%)

0 μg

Choline
(4%)

17.4 mg

Vitamin C
(72%)

60 mg

Vitamin D
(0%)

0 μg

Vitamin E
(3%)

0.39 mg

Vitamin K
(24%)

25 μg

Minerals
Calcium
(4%)

43 mg

Iron
(16%)

2.08 mg

Magnesium
(7%)

24 mg

Manganese
(12%)

0.244 mg

Phosphorus
(8%)

53 mg

Potassium
(4%)

200 mg

Sodium
(0%)

4 mg

Zinc
(3%)

0.27 mg

Other constituents
Water 88.89
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

As nitrogen fixers

As with most legumes, snow peas host beneficial bacteria, rhizobia, in their root nodules, which fix nitrogen in the soil—this is called a mutualistic relationship—and are therefore a useful companion plant, especially useful to grow intercropped with green, leafy vegetables that benefit from high nitrogen content in their soil.

Cultivation and storage

Snow peas can be grown in open fields during cool seasons and can thus be cultivated during winter and spring seasons.[3]

Storage of the pea with films of polymethylpentene at a temperature of 5°C and a concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide of 5 kPa increases the shelf life, internal and external characteristics of the plant.[5]

History

Austrian scientist and monk Gregor Mendel used peas which he called "Pisum saccharatum" in his famous experiments demonstrating the heritable nature of specific traits, though this may not refer to the same varieties identified with modern snow peas.[6]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Singh RJ; Jauhar PP (2005). Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement. CRC Press. pp. 74. ISBN 978-0-8493-1430-8.
  2. McGee, RJ; Baggett JR (1992). "Inheritance of Stringless Pod in Pisum sativum L." (PDF). J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 117 (4): 628–632.
  3. 1 2 De Ron, AM; et al. (2005). "Identifying superior snow pea breeding lines" (pdf). HortScience 40 (5): 1216–1220.
  4. "Snow Pea Shoots Photo - Chinese Vegetable Photos". Chinesefood.about.com. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  5. Pariasca, JAT; et al. (2001). "Effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage on the quality of snow pea pods (Pisum sativum L. var. saccharatum)". Postharvest Biology and Technology 21 (2): 213–223. doi:10.1016/S0925-5214(00)00149-6.
  6. Ellis, T. H. N.; Hofer, J. M. I.; Timmerman-Vaughan, G. M.; Coyne, C. J.; Hellens, R. P. (2011). "Mendel, 150 years on". Trends in Plant Science 16 (11): 590–596. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2011.06.006. PMID 21775188.
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