petits pois

Petits pois on the half shell.

puh-TEE´ PWAH´

(French, ‘small peas’)

While the term petits pois means ‘small peas,’ in French, the French people use the term to describe ‘peas’ in general, since they refuse to eat the marble-sized peas consumed in other countries.

Why? Because little peas are sweeter and more tender than super-sized peas.

Petits pois are best from your own potager (vegetable garden), raw or lightly steamed, with a little salt and butter.

Mmmmm.

The menu said petits pois, but when they arrived, they were actually hard green marbles.