Few things are cozier than a bowl of this substantial, rich, velvety split pea soup garnished with crispy bacon bits and crispy fried onion.

In actuality, it is identical to a typical field pea—the green sort that you most likely detested as a child. To speed up cooking, they are simply dried, peeled, and cut in half along their natural seam.

These high-protein and high-fiber legumes come in green and yellow varieties, with the latter being widely used in local cuisines across the globe. Although they are technically a different species of legume, they resemble lentils and are frequently used in place of them in dishes.