Cowpeas are a common food item in the southern United States, where they are often called field peas. Two subcategories of field peas are crowder peas, so called because they are crowded together in their pods, causing them to have squarish ends, and cream peas.
In Kannada, it is called Alasande. In Hindi, it is called lobhia. In Gujarati, these are called Chola or Chowla. In Marathi, these are called Chawali or Chavali. Karamani or Karamani Payir or Thatta Payir Tamil) the beans are called thatta kaai and are an integral part of the cuisine in southern region of India. In Tamilnadu during the Tamil month of Maasi (February) - Panguni (March) a cake-like dish called Kozhukattai or Adai (steamed sweet dumplings) prepared with cooked and mashed cowpeas mixed with jaggery, ghee and other ingredients. Thatta payir in sambar and pulikkuzhambu (spicy semisolid gravy in tamarind paste) is a popular dish in Thamizh Nadu.
According to the USDA food database, the leaves of the cowpea plant have the highest percentage of calories from protein among vegetarian foods.
Traditional Cooking In Sri Lanka, Cowpea is cooked in many different ways. One way is to cook cowpea with coconut milk.