Mangetout

Mangetout nutrition

The word mangetout is French and its literal meaning is ‘eat all.’ It’s a clear instruction that these delicate pods are meant to be eaten whole. Also known as snow peas and Chinese peas, mangetout are young, unripe pods of the pea plant with a distinctive flat shape and thin walls to the pod.

Unlike beans, you can eat peas, including mangetout, raw, so there are no health concerns and it means that you get more vitamin C from them as cooking destroys most of it.

One cup of raw mangetout (63 grams) packs two grams of protein, almost no fat, small amounts of B vitamins and a large dose of vitamin C. There are 38 milligrams and the recommended daily intake is 40 milligrams so a cup of mangetout will supply almost 100 per cent of your daily vitamin C requirements! It’s a vitamin important for a strong immune system but also for healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage.

Mangetout is also rich vitamin K, essential for normal blood clotting, and carotenoids – natural pigments incuding beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A, and others that are antioxidants and protect your body from everyday damage.

Mangetout delivers modest amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese and zinc – and a respectable amount of iron. One cup provides 1.3 milligrams and with the recommended daily intake of iron for men and postmenopausal women being 8.7 milligrams (for premenopausal women it’s 14.8 milligrams), it’s a good dose.

Health benefits

The health benefits of eating mangetout stem from their nutritional qualities, particularly the abundance of antioxidants they contain, which means they can help to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Their vitamins and minerals help to keep your skin supple, immune system on top form, circulation healthy and your bones strong, while fibre supports your gut health.

Why is mangetout so thin?

Mangetout pods lack inedible fibre, which makes them very delicate. To achieve this, two genes have to be in their recessive (as opposed to dominant) form, which is mangetout’s unique genetic code.

How to use mangetout?

You can simply toss them in a salad or crunch them as a snack but mangetout are simply delicious in stir-fries, rice dishes, curries or steamed as a side dish.