Split green peas are agricultural or culinary preparation consisting of the dried, peeled and split seeds of Pisum sativum. They are peeled, in that in addition to not being in the seedpod in which they grew, the splitting process also removes the dull colored outer skin of the pea.
The peas are round when harvested and dried. Once dry, after the skin is removed, the natural split in the seed's cotyledon can be manually or mechanically separated, in part to encourage faster cooking due to increasing the surface area exposed to heat.

A mechanical process, splitting the dry seeds of the Pisum sativum L. plant first involves husking, or dehulling, the seeds. Outer coating removal of the seed allows for easy division of the pea into its two cotyledons, the parts of the seed that eventually develop into leaves.

This removal of the husk and splitting of the pea results in a sweeter, less starchy, earthier taste, softer texture and shorter required cooking time than for whole peas.