Facts: Peas

1. The average pea weighs between 0.1 and 0.36 grams.
2. The earliest pea is thought to have dated back to 4800BC to 4400BC in the Nile Delta area. Early peas have also been discovered in upper Egypt around 3800BC to 3600BC - some of which were discovered in Egyptian tombs. This has led archeologists to suggest the pea originally came from the near east in countries like Turkey, Jordan and Syria with the vegetable's popularity spreading from there.
3. The pea is only green when eaten because it is picked when still immature. A ripe pea is more yellow in colour. Eating peas when they are green became fashionable in the 1600s and 1700s but was described by the French as "madness".
4. Pea leaves are considered a delicacy in China.
5. Peas are said to give relief to ulcer pains in the stomach because they help 'use up' stomach acids.
6. Only five per cent of peas grown are sold fresh. Most are either frozen or canned.
7. Bioplastics can be made using pea starch.
8. A 100-calorie serving of peas (three quarters of a cup) contains more protein than a whole egg or tablespoon of peanut butter.
9. In the mid-19th century Austrian scientist Gregor Mendel observed the pea pod leading him to create his principle of Mendelian genetics, the foundation of modern genetics.
10. The word pea is believed to take its etymology from the Latin pisum which came from the Greek pison. When it was initially adopted in English the vegetable was called pease, as in pease pudding. This was shortened to pea later due to people incorrectly confusing the 'se' ending in pease as the 's' in plurals.