English Pea and Onion Salad recipe

When the New York Times recently published a special section called “Finding America in 50 Dishes,” everybody I know was quite surprised that English Pea and Onion Salad was the holiday dish representing the Buckeye state.

Not one single Ohioan I consulted had ever tasted English Pea and Onion Salad. Several people asked, “What are English peas?!” (The answer: green peas.)

I’ve lived in the Dayton area for more than two decades now, but I’m a born-and-raised Texan who grew up eating English Pea and Onion Salad. Where I lived, everybody ate English Pea and Onion Salad. It’s comfort food, one of the staples that church ladies took to families dealing with a serious illness or death. It was what we ate at family reunions, picnics and yes, even on Thanksgiving.

But why did we call them English peas? Simple: In Texas, if you just say the word "pea," it is understood that you mean "black-eyed peas," so using "English" as a modifier was the way we were taught to refer to those other kind of peas.

My mama’s recipe for English Pea and Onion Salad contains the distinctly southern ingredient of chopped boiled eggs.

ENGLISH PEA AND ONION SALAD

(from Texas, not Ohio)

1 can English (that is, green) peas

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1 cup Cheddar cheese, cubed or grated

1/2 cup finely diced white onion

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon diced pimiento

2 tablespoons Miracle Whip

salt to taste

Chill the can of peas, then drain. Combine them and the other ingredients in a bowl, mixing gently so as not to smush up the peas.