Chickpeas

The name chickpea comes from the Latin word cicer, referring to the plant family of legumes, Fabaceae. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram, garbanzoor garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. chickpeas have been found at Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (9900-9550 BP) sites in Turkey and the Levant. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes, and 9500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East. India is responsible for 70% of global chickpea production.

Raw chickpeas have a lower trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor content than peas, common beans, and soybeans. Many countries served with variety of breads or steamed rice. If soaked for 12-24 hours before cooking, induces chemical modification of protein-fibre complexes, which leads to an increase in crude fiber content also cooking time is shortened. Mature chickpeas can be roasted, spiced, and eaten as a snack, cooked and eaten cold in salads, stews, ground and shaped in balls and fried as falafel, made into a batter and baked to make farinata or cecina, used in Burmese tofu, or fried to make panelle. Chickpea flour is known as besan in South Asia, as well as in the Levant is used as a batter to coat vegetables before deep frying to make pakoras. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals. Germinated chickpeas are rich in essential amino acids such as lysine, isoleucine, tryptophan, and total aromatic amino acids. Raw chickpeas to promote egg production and growth of birds and pigs.