Hungarian főzelék (vegetable stews) can be made not just from fresh vegetables, but from dried legumes, too. Split peas (sárgaborsó, felesborsó in Hungarian) are available any time of the year and perfect choice for a thick, delicious stew. As the taste of split peas is quite characteristic, dishes made from them are divisive, that’s why they don’t win everbody’s approval.

Split peas are produced by harvesting the peapods when they are fully ripe and then drying them. Once they are dried and the outer skin removed, they split naturally. There are two types of split peas, green and yellow. Green split peas are sweeter and less starchy than the milder yellow split peas (the latter are more popular in Hungary). Split peas are high in protein and low in fat, and also known to be a natural food source that contains some of the highest amounts of dietary fiber.

Opinions vary whether it is worth soaking split peas. I prefer to soak them overnight because they turn creamier when cooked through. But you can choose to skip soaking.