Dried beans cooking lessons

I remember when my Ma used to get dried peas there was a tablet in with them the size of an extra strong mint to put in with them. No idea what it was?

Probably baking soda to help the peas go mushy quicker. Raising the pH of cooking water causes the fibre in the skins to weaken and break down easily. Tomatoes are acidic so can have the opposite effect of stopping legumes from cooking properly. Sodium ions in salt are absorbed into the bean skin and make the fibre slightly stretchy, so they are less likely to burst.

https://beaninstitute.com/cooking-with-d...uy-crosby/