In my part of the UK parched peas are a common autumnal food, just a small counter-point.
> This is totally understandable given that for centuries in Europe it was broadly illegal for peasants to mill their own grain. The feudally-entitled miller was actually allowed to destroy any querns that he found to prevent defection.
I had no idea about this, and because it sounds like it could be bullshit, I had to look it up: https://www.eskdalemill.co.uk/history/mills-in-the-lake-dist...
> Building a mill allowed the feudal lords of the manor to control an essential activity by establishing a monopoly. The medieval community would have been forced to grind their grain at the mill that belonged to the lord of the manor. The miller would take a fraction of each farmer’s grain as payment, commonly a tenth or twelfth. Forcing their tenants to grind corn in the manorial mill generated income – huge sums it has been claimed.