Mushy peas are a bit different to pea puree made from garden peas. Mushy peas are more like the UK counterpart of refried beans IMO, as they’re made from fully-ripened and dried peas, which are more like beans (well, they are beans).
There’s a FB page I look at every day, ‘Eating History’, that shows many old menus from as far back as the 1700’s thru more recent times. Oysters and clams, seafood in general was plentiful. Turtle soup was a staple, and for some reason, celery was very desirable (it is a running joke in the comments). Probably celery as we know it was hard to grow until then, and so was a real treat.
Eating History is a great channel on YouTube. I like the way Max (the host) gives the history behind each dish while making it himself.
“Jowls and spinage” sounds like something Granny would make on The Beverly Hillbillies.
That’s interesting. When I was living in Hungary in the late 90s/early 00s, it was very difficult to find green celery stalks. All you could generally find (unless you sought out a specialty store) was celery root. Sometimes the celery root would have the stalks attached, but the stalks were quite limp and unappetizing. I’m assuming there are just types of celery grown for their roots, and some for their stalks, and maybe back then there weren’t a lot of varities available that were good for stalks. Just a guess. At any rate, the last time I visited Hungary about 6 years ago, it was becoming/had become common to find green celery stalks as you find them here in the US.
That’s Tasting History, with Max Miller. And it’s a fantastic channel. I even bought the book, and I hope someday there will be more.
Right, my mistake.
I had the same experience here in Germany. When I was a kid, I only knew celery as the roots, and it was only used chopped up in soups, especially in beef soup which was a staple as a Sunday lunch starter. Only in the last three decades or so the stalks got available, and to my chagrin often used in salads (I don’t like the taste and texture of celery stalks).
Mushy peas are a staple in British fish and chip takeaways.
I’m guessing there is a UK-vs.-USA difference in interpretation of those words. “Mushy peas” are not a known American dish, any more than “stale bread” or “moldy zucchini” is a particular food. And it sounds bad - “mushy” is not (in American parlance) a good thing. It sounds like something that is squishy and unpleasantly soft due to overripeness, too much processing, excess liquid, etc.
I’m pretty sure “mushy peas” in the UK are free of such negative connotations, but I’d be happy to hear from anyone who can speak with authority as to what the phrase “mushy peas” conjures up in the British mind.
I am British and we have mushy peas whenever we have a fish and chips takeaway. They are basically pureed peas, with a consistency a little looser than mashed potato. Yes it tastes like peas! Yummy!
I like them with a little mint and some butter. 
Celery root, like many other root vegetables, can be roasted or boiled and mashed up like potatoes. They make a good alternative side dish.
I’ve also seen recipes for celery schnitzel as a vegetarian alternative to Wiener schnitzel. Just slice them, cover in breading and roast in a pan like a real schnitzel. It’s quite good.
The article mentions “thick pea soup.” Come to think of it, I haven’t seen condensed pea soup on the shelves in ages. Gumbo seems to have been discontinued as well, and not just on a seasonal basis.
I loved Campbell’s condensed Chili Beef soup too. I would eat it straight out of the can as a cheap alternative to chili. That was back in the late '70s–early '80s. It’s another one that’s been discontinued, and I wish they would bring it back.
When I think of “mushy peas,” I picture a child being served canned peas and mushing them onto her plate with her fork instead of eating them.
Agree on the “yummy”! I made 'mushy peas" for a family I cook for, but was careful to label the dish “buttery pea puree.” Everyone found the dish delicious.
There’s a famous food stand in Sydney, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, that’s known for it’s mushy pea-adorned “Tiger Pie” and “Hot Dog de Wheels”. Can’t speak for the Tiger Pie, but the hot dog was pretty darn tasty.
Okay, that’s quite interesting! Sounds like “mushy peas” are made from dried peas (which can be bought in the US as “split peas”). Totally delicious, IMHO - I like making incredibly thick split pea soup, which seems to be the same thing.
My “buttery pea puree” was a bit different: I started with frozen peas, cooked them, and pureed them with butter, salt, and a few herbs. Similar and good, but not identical.
Mushy peas sounds interesting to me, but according to Wikipedia it’s made from something called “marrowfat peas” which I don’t think I’ve ever seen in an American grocery store unless they’re known by some other name here.
I have heard that Aussies enjoy sticking a meat pie upside-down in a bowl of pea soup and calling it a “pie floater”. I am simultaneously intrigued, confused, and somehow disgusted but also interested in trying it.
Ah, mushy peas.
I’m not British, but for years, my local pub here in Canada was a real pub, run by a British couple who strove to make it as British as possible. There were British and Irish beers on tap, and the menu was mostly British. There was an American burger or two for those who felt they couldn’t live without, but the rest was British: steak and mushroom/kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, beef-and-Guinness with mashed, bangers and mash, fish and chips, and all kinds of Indian curries. Damn, it was tasty!
If you ordered a pie of any kind, you had a choice of side: mushy peas, baked beans, or fries. I often went for the mushy peas. They were not pureed peas, nor were they mashed up, they were simply “mushy peas.” I don’t know how they were made, I just know that I liked them, and they went perfectly with my steak and mushroom pie.