Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Gardening
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an edible legume in the family Fabaceae, originated in the Middle East. It is also known as Garbanzo bean, Indian pea, Bengal gram, Egyptian peas, and Ceci bean. Cicer arietinum, which means 'small ram' in Latin, is referring to the unique shape of this legume that somewhat resembles a ram's head. Chickpeas are widely grown in the Mediterranean, western Asia, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent. Chickpea is one of the most popular vegetarian foods in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the UK. In the Indian subcontinent, green chickpeas are known as Harbharaa in Marathi, while other varieties are known as kadale kaalu in Kannada, or chana and chhole in Hindi. India, Pakistan, Turkey, Ethiopia, and Mexico are the world's main commercial producers of chickpeas.
Chickpea plant, 20-50 cm tall, has small, alternate feathery leaves growing on either side of the stem. The flowers are white with blue, vilet or pink veins. The plant produces pods which contain 2-3 peas in each pod. The leaves are eaten as a green vegetable in salad, and unripe chickpeas are often picked and eaten raw as a snack. Mature chickpeas are cooked in stews and curries, cooked and served cold in salads, roasted and eaten as a snack, or ground into gram or besan flour.
There are two basic types of chickpeas, Desi and Kabuli.
Desi, meaning 'local' or 'country' in Hindi, is a small, irregular-shaped, darker (light tan to black in color) seed with rough coat. It is cultivated in the Indian subcontinent, Mexico, Iran, and Ethiopia. Desi is also known as Bengal gram and kala chana. It contains a higher fiber content and antioxidant level than Kabuli. Desi is suitable for people with blood sugar problems, and is the type used to make Chana dal (split chickpea with the skin removed).
Kabuli, meaning 'from Kabul' in Hindi, is about twice as large as desi-type, lighter (cream to whitish) in color, with a fairly uniform and rounded shape, and coated with a smoother skin. It is widely grown in the Mediterranean, southern Europe, nothern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Chile. It is also known as Safed chana. Kabuli represents about 10-20% of the chickpeas consumed worldwide. Kabuli-type of chickpeas are most commonly seen in salad bars and in canned products.
Chickpeas have a delicious nut-like taste and a buttery, starchy and pasty texture. They are high in dietary fiber, molybdenum, manganese, folate, and a good source of antioxidant (vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene), protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and phosphorus. The antioxidants present in chickpeas are especially concentrated in the outer seed coat that gives the beans their distinctive color. They are low in polyunsaturated fat. Chickpeas are a noted ingredient in many Indian and Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus, falafels and curries.
Chickpea plants and pods
Author: BotBln (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Chickpea pods
Author: Eitan f (public domain)
Chickpeas (Desi and Kabuli)
Author: Sanjay Acharya (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
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