What are they snapping when they "snap peas"?

Yes, I have snapped peas. Fresh pea pods are crunchy and they snap when you flex them to free the peas.

FREE THE PEAS!!

Water, I believe.
A fresh vegetable or fruit will be higher in water content than one that is less than fresh. That is what makes it crunchy or.. snappy.

We “snapped” beans and “shelled” peas. I have no idea how you would snap a pea.

That would make the BEST bumper sticker….“Free The Peas!” @jaytkay So…...folks snapped the pea pods, like, in half, then caught the peas in a bowl on their lap? Is that what they do?

I CAN’T BELIEVE NO ONE (except @jaytkay) EVEN KNOWS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!!

I mean, they are CALLED snap peas…. but what makes the snapping noise is the water molecules busting apart.

So WHY do they snap peas? What is purpose?

To free the peas?

Ah! Free the peas! But….do the peas just get…free? I mean, a pea pod is corrugated. You would think that just snapping the pod in half wouldn’t work that well…the peas on either side of the snap would get hung up in the corrigation…? Or do they just roll out?

Oh, I never snap snap peas like that. You have to snap them down the seam.

I’ve never snapped peas! I’ve only heard of it! So…what does “snapping peas” mean?

I always assumed it meant when you snap them down the seam. You know, the pea pod has a seam, and if you squeeze it, it will pop apart right there.. and you just use your thumb to slide the peas out.

I used to love to eat them raw like that, right off the plant, when I was a kid. :)

Oh really? Where did you grow up? It sounds like something I should have done as a kid (Mom was the daughter of farmer immigrants from Holland) but I never did….always only heard about “snapping peas.” I had this idea that….they were snapping the back part off, where it was hooked to the bush, like that tiny stem just was a nuisance in the overall pea fixin’ situation, and they were good to go with the whole pod after snappin’ it….like…if they didn’t snap them and went to boil the peas, everyone’s mouth would be bothered with the woody, stemmy bit from the back end of the pod if they didn’t snap them off…

Ohio.
You do have to remove the woody stem, also. Especially if you intend to eat the pod (which some people do.) I just always thought it was the name of the type of pea… snap peas. Or sugar snap peas.

I always opened the pod by squeezing it gently, then the seam just sort of opens up. You can snap them in half, though, much like you were thinking. Then you just have to sort of peel each end of the pod off. Seems like the hard way, though.

@TheOnlyNeffie My my! You do realize you are the keeper of a lost art! I’m from Kansas, and I never knew what it was to “snap peas” except it brought women together on a pourch…they’d “snap peas” while they were talking…they’d snap without looking and grab pea pod after pea pod, snapping and snapping, which doesn’t match up with laboriously peeling each end of the pod off…you go talk to your relatives and I’ll talk to mine and find out what it means. My impression is it was more like an impromptu social event BC TV.

You could very well be right. I’m kind of guessing.