A fantastic advertising ruse resulted in many sales of this Mummy pea, but sadly, it seems it was just a scam which fooled many vegetable gardeners. Perhaps this pea was in need of a father? Incidentally, the real pea named ‘Mummy’s Pea’, which is still available, has well-filled pods and tastes sweet.
“A few months ago the gardening world were thrown into a state of great excitement by the announcement of the discovery of a new pea, which had been propagated from one found in the wrappers of a mummy, supposed to have been placed therein some 1500 years B. C. This pea was said to have a flower like a geranium, a pod like the letter S, to be extremely productive, and to be the best in quality ever before known. The seed sold in London, and numbers of people in different parts were induced to purchase the seed of the mummy pea. It has been at length tried; the bloom is like that of the geranium; but there is no pod like that of the letter S: it is a slow grower, extremely shy in bearing, has a common field-pea appearance, nothing to boast of in quality, and has been pronounced by all who have been duped into its purchase, as being nothing more or less than a piece of mere humbug!”
The Stamford Mercury, 10th August, 1849.