noun
cowpea; black-eyed pea; southern pea
Refers to the legume Vigna unguiculata, commonly known as cowpea or black-eyed pea. Often used in cooking; the young pods and seeds are edible.
See also: ササゲ
ささぎは夏によく食べられる豆です。
Cowpeas are beans often eaten in summer.
このあたりでは、ささぎを煮物に使います。
Around here, we use cowpeas in simmered dishes.
ササゲ is a closely related legume, often confused with ささぎ. Both are cowpeas, but ササゲ typically refers to the yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), while ささぎ is the southern pea or black-eyed pea variety.
The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji 豇豆 are Chinese characters for the plant, used here as ateji.