Pigeon Peas

whole—sabud toovar

skinned split—toovar dal

Even though pigeon peas originated in Africa, today the legume is synonymous with India, which produces 90 percent of the world’s crop. In Indian stores pigeon peas are available under two different names: toovar and arhar. They are two different varieties of the same species, and either will do for any of the recipes that call for pigeon peas. The oval-shaped whole peas are widely consumed in the northwestern state of Gujarat, fresh when they are in season, when they are immensely popular, and dried when they are not (Whole Pigeon Peas with Tomato and Mustard). Here in the United States pigeon peas are widely available in the dried form, and lately I have noticed that frozen pigeon peas are appearing in many Indian grocery stores.