The chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its seeds are high in protein and it is one of the earliest cultivated vegetables.
Description
The
plant grows to between 20–50 cm (8–20 inches) high and has small feathery leaves on either side of the stem. Chickpeas are a type of pulse, with one seedpod containing two or three peas. It has white flowers with blue, violet or pink veins. Chickpeas need a subtropical or tropical climate with more than 400 millimetres (16 in) of annual rain
Types
There are two main kinds of chickpea:
- Desi, which has small, darker seeds and a rough coat, cultivated mostly in the Indian subcontinent.
- Kabuli, which has lighter coloured, larger seeds and a smoother coat, introduced during the 18th century to the Indian subcontinent.
The Desi (meaning 'country' or 'local' in Hindi) is also known as Bengal gram or kala chana. Kabuli (meaning 'from Kabul' in Hindi, since they were thought to have come from Afghanistan when first seen in India) Desi chickpeas have a markedly higher fiber content than Kabulis and hence a very low glycemic index which may make them suitable for people with blood sugar problems.The desi type is used to make Chana Dal, which is a split chickpea with the skin removed.
Cultivation and use
Chickpeas are grown in the Mediterranean, western Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Australia.
Nutrition
Chickpeas are a helpful source of zinc, folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and hence a healthy source of carbohydrates for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetes.Chickpeas are low in fat and most of this is polyunsaturated. Nutrient profile of desi chana (the smaller variety) is different, especially the fibre content which is much higher than the light coloured variety. One hundred grams of mature boiled chickpeas contains 164 calories, 2.6 grams of fat (of which only 0.27 grams is saturated), 7.6 grams of dietary fiber and 8.9 grams of protein. Chickpeas also provide dietary phosphorus (49–53 mg/100 g),
It has almost no effect on your blood glucose level. This is something that is very important to anyone with diabetes and to many other people as well. Technically, it has one of the lowest indexes of any food on the glycemic index, 8 (where glucose = 100). Its index is 5 according to one study and 11 according to another.
USES
Mature chickpeas can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, ground into a flour called gram flour (also known as chickpea flour and besan and used primarily in Indian cuisine), Some varieties of chickpeas can even be popped and eaten like popcorn. Chick peas and Bengal grams are used to make curries and are one of the most popular vegetarian foods in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
Tropical cultures have many traditional uses of chickpea root. The seeds of the root are high in protein and can be eaten as a healthy snack, much like sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Textiles
Chickpea root has uses in creating textiles. The plant produces starch that can be used to finish cotton, silk and wool cloth. The ingredients inside the chickpea root and leaves also provide an indigo color dye for cloth.
Animal Feed
Various parts of the chickpea root, leaves and seeds are used for animal food. When the stem or roots are dried, the seeds can be harvested for domestic pet or livestock feed. The husks from the chickpea can be used in their fresh "green" state or dried and used as feed for farm animals.
Human Consumption
The high protein content of the chickpea root and seeds make the plant popular as a base to a multitude of human food items. Seeds harvested from the root are frequently ground into flour to make soup and bread. Ground seeds are mixed with lemon, salt and pepper and served as a side-dish. When the chickpea is split and the seed coat removed it is called Dhal. After the Dhal is dried it is ground into a fine mixture similar to flour and used to make soup, coffee, snack food or added as a sweetener to meat. Seeds from a chickpea root can be eaten in their natural state or roasted, fried, boiled or parched and eaten as a snack or blended as a sweetener into condiments.
Medicinal Uses
Organic acid found inside the leaves can be used in a medicinal manner to clean cuts and scrapes or as a vinegar substitute in the kitchen. The chickpea is a hypocholesteremic agent and has been found to be effective in controlling the cholesterol levels of lab rats. The sour-tasting oxalic and malic acids found inside the root, leaves and seed pods are used to combat snakebite, warts, constipation, diarrhea, sunstroke, bronchitis and cholera. In India farmers soak up the acids from the chickpea root by laying a muslin cover on top of the rows of crops at night and then collect and bottle the acid for sale.
