Black Country Market · Pigeon Peas and Bacon
Grey Peas and Bacon
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Turaids / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The 'grey' peas here aren't a modern import — they're an old variety of field pea that's been grown and eaten in the Black Country for generations.
Dried grey (maple) peas are soaked and slow-simmered until tender, then served in a bowl with chunks of bacon and a knob of butter stirred through. Market stalls and pubs across the Black Country dish it out as a hearty, inexpensive snack.
Why it's made this way: It's a survivor of an older, thriftier regional diet built around cheap dried pulses and cured pork, from an era before more expensive ingredients became routine.
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