veg 001

Fresh chickpeas in its pods

Also known as garbanzos, chickpeas are one of the most important pulses in the world and are used extensively in the cuisines of many countries.
Belonging to the pea flower subfamily of the legume family, chickpea is an annual plant with sprawling to erect, downy stems and leaves with up to 17 pairs of small leaflets. Flowers are white to violet and appear in spring and early summer, followed by hairy pods up to 35mm long, containing white, brown or blackish seeds.The seeds are round and curled at the sides, hence the botanical name referring to the ram’s skull. Grown mainly in the Middle East, North Africa and India. Compared to other pulses, they have a lower protein and higher fat content.
Chickpeas can be eaten fresh but are often dried and sold whole or split. They are pale brown in colour. Like most pulses, chickpeas must undergo prolonged soaking before cooking. In India, whole chickpeas are known as Bengal gram and chickpea flour is known as besan flour, it is used in sweets and savory dishes such as pakoras. Probably the most famous chickpea dish are both Middle Eastern: hummus, which is the Arabic word for chickpea and describe a paste of chickpeas and sesame paste with lemon, salt and garlic; felafel, which are small, deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas and herbs.