What are Jackdaws?
The jackdaws, otherwise known as " peas ", are composed of the pod and the seeds of a pea variety called macrocarpon ; these are edible legumes belonging to the Fabaceae family, Genus Pisum, whose complete Latin name (Genus, Species and Variety) corresponds to Pisum Sativum macrocarpon .
The jackdaws are the fruit (about 10cm long) of annual herbaceous plants originating from the Mediterranean basin and the Near East which, compared to the pea and most of the edible legumes, are distinguished by the extent of the edible portion. In practice, while the edible part of most leguminous plants (beans, chickpeas, lentils, common peas, ripe beans, lupins, peanuts, etc.) is ONLY the SEEDS, that of the jackdaws also includes the entire structure that encloses them and binds them to the plant, or the pod. Despite the similarity, the jackdaws are NOT to be confused with the tegolini (or green beans) which, although they too are the pod of a legume, belong to the family and to the bean genus.
NB . In zoology, the term jackdaws refers to some birds of the genus corvus .
Tips for preparing jackdaws
Jackdaws are legumes from the spring period.
The jackdaws are extremely simple to prepare because, after washing and rapid cleaning, they can be pre-cooked in hot water and subsequently used among the ingredients of any recipe. In summary, to prepare them is enough:
- Wash the pea pods
- Clean the jackdaws by removing the petiole and the fibrous thread that runs to the side of the pod; care must be taken not to unduly compromise the integrity of the jackdaw or it will tend to flake off during cooking
- Boil plenty of salted water and immerse the jackdaws for no more than 10 minutes
- Drain the snow peas and work if necessary according to the chosen recipe.
NB . The cooking time in hot water depends on the type of processing that follows; if the jackdaws are simply "sautéed", it will be necessary to boil them for a period sufficient for definitive cooking. On the other hand, if the jackdaws are to be stewed with tomato, the cooking time in the water will be reduced by almost 50% compared to those to be skipped.
Although leguminous, the fresh snow peas contain peas still in an embryonic form (therefore NOT wrapped in a thick fibrous capsule); this means that, unlike many other legumes (especially dry and larger ones) the jackdaws can be immersed in boiling water without running the risk of hardening compromising their pleasantness.
Nutritional characteristics
From a nutritional point of view, jackdaws, like string beans, are considered a cross between a legume and a vegetable; they are rich in fiber and lend themselves to the diet against constipation, while moderate energy intake (about 20kcal / 100g) allows it to be used even in low-calorie diets.
The jackdaws should boast a moderate or even very low glycemic index; this characteristic makes them suitable for the type 2 diabetes mellitus diet and is also very useful for controlling insulin surges in overweight or obese subjects.
The jackdaws are rich in vitamins and minerals even if, after cooking in boiling water, some of these nutrients undergo temperature inactivation (for example ascorbic acid) or dilution in the immersion liquid (such as potassium) .
The biological value of proteins is higher than that of vegetables but still of medium size.
