By: Batumba Tak General Secretary The St. Kitt5s-Nevis Trades & Labour Union

Some Surprising Benefits Of Pigeon PeasIn the words of E. M. Forster, Taken from where Angels Fear to tread, “They save the duller vegetables first, and a pleasant feeling of righteous fatigue stole over them as they addressed themselves to the peas.”

We have been told over a period of time that pigeon peas originated in India and appeared about 2000 BC in West Africa, which is considered to be their second major centre of origin

.Now all of a sudden, the historians are telling us that it is not known with any certainty from which country pigeon peas originated, but it is certain, according to some experts, that pigeon peas were grown in ancient times in Africa and India and came with slavery to the Western shores. Somehow, I tend to believe the experts on this one.

My reason behind trusting the experts is supported by a lengthy discussion I had with some elderly persons, including a few farmers who have been around quite a very long time whocollectively informed that their fore parents told them that a lot of the crops that they grow have in St. Kitts and Nevis came here through slaves that were brought here from Africa.

In addition, they all to some and extent, still have practical reasons for including pigeon peas in their every day diet.

In continuing, they pointed out that fish and meat had and continue to become very costly, causing the majority of the working class people who could not afford the expensive cost of fish and meats, to be guided by common sense in supplementing the most expensive portion of the food bill with nutritious protein plants that can be home grown in their back yard for free. Thus, the local saying, plant and grow what we need.

Nonetheless, let us continue from where we left off from in our previous article by looking at how pigeon add value to our well-being.

1. Boost Energy: As mentioned before in our previous article, the energy conversion of pigeon peas to energy is very impressive, to say the least, and this is mainly thanks to the presence of B Vitamins in these legumes.

For instance, Niacin(Niacin is a vitamin that occurs in milk, liver, yeast and some other foods) and Riboflavin (Riboflavin is also a vitamin that occurs in green vegetables, milk, fish, eggs, liver and some other foods as well) actively promote the metabolism of carbohydrates by the body, and prevent the storage of fat, thus, boosting overall energy levels without packing on any pounds.

According to the Nutritionists, this is ideal for people who live in arid climates, work physically demanding jobs or deal with unusual climates that deplete energy very quickly.

2. Strengthen Immune System: It is said that sometimes raw is better when it comes to maintaining nutrients, and when it comes to Vitamin C levels in these legumes, it is always a smarter choice to chew on the raw green peas. It is no wonder then that my grandmother and other elders in Old Pond Site/Newtown used to chew so many pigeon peas when they were working on the small plot of land provided for them by the Estate owners. I earnestly believe that they knew what was best for their health and that of their children as well as their grandchildren. In fact they were also call the Doctors for local remedy.

Believe it or not, it is now common knowledge that the Vitamin C content drops by nearly 25% once you cook the peas, so if we need a boost of our immune system, let us keep them un-coked!

Please keep in mind though that Vitamin C can stimulate the production of white blood cells and acts as an antioxidant in our blood, thus, promoting overall wellness and strong immunity.

3. Heart Health: The combination of potassium, dietary fiber and the low levels of cholesterol which makes pigeon peas a great ideal choice for maintaining heart health, because the potassium reduces the strain on the heart by lowering blood pressure, dietary fiber can also help to balance cholesterol levels and prevent atherosclerosis.

Therefore, by still delivering essential nutrients without unbalancing overall cholesterol with saturated fats, our heart will beat to the tune of gratitude.

Finally, we will now look at how pigeon peas help to Improve Digestion: Just like many other legumes, pigeon peas are a very rich source of dietary fiber, which is well known to improve digestion.In addition, fiber can bulk up the stool and promote more regular bowel movement thus reducing strain and inflammation, and lowering the occurrence of constipation, bloating, cramping and diarrhea.

Furthermore, fiber can improve the efficiency with which the gut absorbs nutrients which means that you get more out of our food. Therefore, we are asking you to keep eating those pigeon peas because they are definitely good for us.Don’t you think so as well?.As time is of the utmost importance, we shall stop here for today, but will continue in our next article when we look at the topic that our members and other workers has been asking for, that is, the importance of being on time for work.

As I end here for today, I leave you with a quote by A. G. Phillips, a peas poem by Nick Strong, a pigeon peas recipe, and a song by Harry Belafonte – 1963, The Brothers Four – 1966.“Pease cannot be achieved; they have to be plucked out of their pod.”– A. G. Phillips.

Mushy Peas By: Nick Strong
Minty green and mean,Mushy pea clean,Add to the plate,Of your best mate,Mushy peas and chips,Raised to the lips,Believe me when I say,A sensation so intense,Will leave you, in suspense,Minty green, yet supreme.

Pigeon-Peas Soup
This makes 6 serving-Active Time: 45 minutes – Total Time 1½ hours.

• 2 (14-oz) Packages frozen pigeon peas, thawed.• 1LB Smoked ham, boned ham hock, or Spanish Chorizo links.• (Spicy dried pork sausage), diced.• 3 Cups water.• 14 to 15-oz can chicken broth.
For Sofrito:
• 1 Large fresh jalapeño Chile seeded and finely chopped.• ½ Red bell pepper, finely chopped.• 6 aji Dice chiles, finely chopped, including seeds.• 1 Medium onion, finely chopped.• 4 Garlic cloves, minced.• 2 Tablespoons olive oil.• ½ Cup finely chopped fresh cilantro.• 1 Smalltomato seeded and chopped.• ½ Teaspoon fresh thyme or oregano leaves.• 6 OzCalabaza or butternut squash peeled and cut into ¼- inch dice (¾ Cup).• 1 Garlic clove.• 4 Fresh cilantro sprigs.• ½ Green plantains, peeled.
Preparation:
Simmer peas, ham, water, and broth in a 4-quart heavy pot, uncovered, 30 minutes. Make sofrito while peas simmer: Cook jalapeño, bell pepper, aji duce, chills, onion, and garlic in oil in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add cilantro, tomato, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season sofrito with salt and pepper.

Simmer and season stew.
Stir sofrito and squash into pea mixture and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Mash garlic clove and cilantro to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then season with salt and pepper and add to stew. Grate plantain on large hole of a grater directly into stew and season stew with salt and pepper.

The Borning Day

By: Harry Belafonte – 1963

The Brothers Four – 1966

Mary and the baby hungry,Yes, we know what hungry be,So we bring those peas and rice,And a little ginger tea,Only pigeon peas and rice,A little ginger tea,Mary thank us with her eyes,She poor the same as we,She poor the same as we.

Mary and the baby lonely,Lonely is not good to be,So we sit a while and chat a while,To keep them company,Stay a while makes the baby smile,Pass the time of day,When we see how pleased they be,It makes us glad we stay,So glad that we could stay.

Mary and the baby weary,Oh, we know what weary be,So we make a bed and pillow for their head,With down from the muhow tree,Only down from the muhow tree,To rest them soft and good,We feel bad this was all we had,We do the best we could,We do the best we could.

Mary and the baby rest easy,We go away and let them be,On hush tip toe and voice kept low,We look up and see,Stars of hope shine in the sky,To mark the baby’s birth,Seemed to say its borning day,Of better times on earth,Of better times on earth.