A pea is a small, round, green vegetable that grows inside a pod. If you've ever snapped open a pea pod, you've seen how the peas sit in a neat row, tucked inside like tiny green marbles in a case. Fresh peas taste sweet and slightly crunchy, while frozen or canned peas are softer and more common in most kitchens.

Peas have been grown for thousands of years and appear in cuisines around the world. You might find them in chicken pot pie, mixed with rice, or served alongside mashed potatoes at dinner. In the 1860s, an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel used pea plants in his garden to make groundbreaking discoveries about how traits pass from parents to offspring, which became the foundation of modern genetics.

The phrase like two peas in a pod describes people or things that are nearly identical or extremely similar, just like the peas inside a pod that look almost exactly alike. If someone says you and your best friend are like two peas in a pod, they mean you're remarkably similar in personality, interests, or appearance.