Ark of Taste
Mississippi Silver Hull Bean-Crowder Cowpeas
The Mississippi Silver Hull bean is a variety of Crowder pea that is intimately connected with the culture of the American South. Cowpeas originated in the Niger River Basin of West Africa and were then brought to America during colonial times, at which point they became a staple food across the southeastern US.
The Mississippi Silver Hull beans are large and brown with a meaty taste and a hearty texture. Crowder peas are a type of cowpea with seeds that are very crowded in their pods. The peas are globular in shape and are very starchy. While this bean is not extinct, it is rare, as over 96% of the acreage of field peas is devoted to just two varieties.