Split peas are the dried peeled and split seeds of Pisum sativum. They come in yellow and green varieties. They have been mechanically split so that they will cook faster. Yellow split peas are sometimes wrongly referred to as a synonym for the Indian toor dal (split pigeon peas) or chana dal (split yellow gram, chickpeas or garbanzo beans); while all commonly known as peas the latter are from other legume species. Split peas are a great source of protein. Green and yellow split peas are commonly used to make pea soup, and sometimes pease pudding. Yellow split peas are used to make a sweet snack in Beijing cuisine. Wandouhuang is a sweetened and chilled pease pudding, sometimes flavoured with osmanthus blossoms and dates. A refined version of this snack is said to be a favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi.

Suma is the UK's largest independent wholefood wholesaler-distributor. Specialising in vegetarian, fairly traded, organic, ethical and natural products, we also have our own successful brand of food and non-food products.

The small, shiny black turtle bean is especially popular in Latin American cuisine. It is often called simply the black bean (frijol negro in Spanish, feijao preto in Portuguese), although this can cause confusion with other black beans. The black turtle bean has a dense, meaty texture and flavour reminiscent of mushrooms, which makes it popular in vegetarian dishes such as the Mexican-American black bean burrito. It is a very popular bean in various regions of Brazil, and is used in the national dish, feijoada. It is also a principal ingredient of Platillo Moros y Cristianos in Cuba, is a must-have in the typical gallo pinto of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, is a fundamental part of Pabellón Criollo in Venezuela, and is served in almost all of Latin America as well as many Hispanic enclaves in the United States. The black turtle bean is also very popular for making into soups which are best eaten with Cuban crackers. Black turtle beans have recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants.