View source for Chickpea

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Chickpea
| image = Chickpea.jpg
| image_caption = Left: Bengal variety; right: European variety
| regnum = [[Plantae]]
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Fabales]]
| familia = [[Fabaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Faboideae]]
| genus = ''[[Cicer]]''
| species = '''''C. arietinum'''''
| binomial = ''Cicer arietinum''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

{{nutritionalvalue | name = Chickpeas, mature seeds, cooked no salt | kJ=686 | protein=8.86 g | fat=2.59 g | satfat=0.269 g | monofat = 0.583 g | polyfat = 1.156 g | carbs = 27.42 g | sugars=4.8 g | fiber = 7.6 g | sodium_mg=7 | potassium_mg = 291 | vitA_ug = 1 | vitC_mg=1.3 | thiamin_mg=0.116 | riboflavin_mg=0.063 | niacin_mg=0.526 | pantothenic_mg=0.286 | folate_ug=172 | vitE_mg=0.35 | vitK_ug=4 | iron_mg=2.89 | phosphorus_mg=168 | magnesium_mg=48 | zinc_mg=1.53 | calcium_mg=49 | vitB6_mg=0.139 | vitB12_ug=0 | water=60.21 g | source_usda=1 | right=1}}

The '''chickpea''', '''chick pea''', '''garbanzo bean''', '''ceci bean''', '''bengal gram''', '''hummus,''' '''chana''' or '''channa''' (''Cicer arietinum'') is an edible [[legume]] (English "pulse") of the family [[Fabaceae]], subfamily [[Faboideae]].

The plant grows to between 20 and 50&nbsp;cm high and has small feathery leaves on both sides of the stem. One seedpod contains two or three peas. The flowers are white- or reddish-blue. Chickpeas need a subtropical or tropical climate and more than 400&nbsp;mm annual rain. They can be grown in a temperate climate, but yields will be much lower. It is often used as an alternative protein product with [[vegetarians]] and [[vegans]] and is one of the plants with the highest amount of protein.

==Varieties==
There are two types of chickpea:
*Desi - "with small, dark seeds and a rough coat (prevailing in the [[Indian Subcontinent]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Mexico]], [[Iran]])"
*Kabuli - "with light-coloured, larger seeds and a smoother coat (mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, [[Afghanistan]], [[Chile]], and introduced in the 18th century to the Indian Subcontinent)"<ref> [http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Taxonomy/datenvoll.afp?module=mf&source=botnam&taxid=30808&akzanz=0&rehm=0  Mansfeld's World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops]</ref>  

The Desi form is also known as Bengal gram or kala chana. The Kabuli form is the kind grown, for example, in the Mediterranean today. The Desi-type closely resembles those seeds found on archaeological sites and the wild ancestor, so it is probably the earlier form. Desi-type chickpeas are said to have a very low [[glycemic index]]<ref>[http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html David Mendosa: Chana Dal]</ref>  making them suitable for many people with blood sugar problems.
<!--Ref: http://dspace.ncl.res.in/dspace/bitstream/2048/30/1/th1309.pdf - not working currently. Cached here: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:pmd0AVkymsoJ:dspace.ncl.res.in/dspace/bitstream/2048/30/1/th1309.pdf+%22+GENETIC+DIVERSITY+AND+LINKAGE+ANALYSIS+IN+CHICKPEA+USING+DNA+...%22%22Cicer+reticulatum%22&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=1 -->

==Cultivation and uses==

The chickpea is grown in the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]], western [[Asia]], and the [[Indian Subcontinent]]. The wild ancestor of domesticated chickpeas is ''Cicer reticulatum''. As this only grows in southeast Turkey, this is the most likely locus of domestication. 

Domestically, chickpeas can be [[sprouting|sprouted]] all year round, within a few days, using a sprouter on a windowsill. 

Mature chickpeas can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, ground into a flour called [[gram flour]] (also known as ''besan'', and used in primarily in [[Pakistan]]i and [[Indian cuisine]]), ground and shaped in balls and fried as [[falafel]], stirred into a batter and baked to make [[farinata]], cooked and ground into a paste called [[hummus]], or roasted, spiced and eaten as a snack (e.g. [[leblebi]]). In India and Pakistan, where they are referred to as "chana," chickpeas provid
e a major source of protein in a predominantly vegetarian culture. Chickpea flour is used as a batter to coat various vegetables and meats before frying, and is used to made ''[[panelle]]'', a type of chickpea [[fritter]] from [[Sicily]].[http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_24327,00.html] Popular Indian dishes made with chickpea flour include ''mirchi bajji'' or ''[[mirapakaya]] bajji [[Telugu language|telugu]]''. Chickpea flour is also used to make "[[Tofu#Tofu made from other legumes|Burmese tofu]]," a food originating with the [[Shan]] people of [[Myanmar|Burma]]. Unripe chickpeas are often picked out of the pod and eaten as a raw snack in many parts of [[India]], and the plants are eaten there as a [[green vegetable]] in [[salad]]s.

==History of chickpeas==
[[Neolithic founder crops|Domesticated]] chickpeas are first known from the aceramic levels of [[Jericho]] ([[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B|PPNB]]) and [[Cayönü]] in Turkey and the pottery [[Neolithic]] in Hacilar, [[Turkey]]. They are found in the late Neolithic in [[Thessaly]], at [[Kastanas]], [[Lerna]] and [[Dimini]] at ca. 3500 BCE. In the southern French cave of L'Abeurador Dept., [[Aude]], wild chickpeas have been found in [[Mesolithic]] layers, dated by [[radiocarbon dating]] to 6790±90 BCE.<ref>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, ''Domestication of Plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), pp. 110f</ref>

By the [[Bronze Age]], they were known in [[Italy]] and [[Greece]]. In classical Greece, they were called erébinthos, eaten both as a staple and as a dessert, and consumed raw when young. The Romans knew of several varieties, for example venus, ram and punic chickpeas. They were cooked into a [[broth]] and roasted as a snack. The Roman gourmet [[Apicius]] gives several recipes for chickpeas. Carbonised chickpeas have been found at the Roman legionary fort at [[Neuss]] (Novaesium), [[Germany]] in layers of the 1st century CE, along with rice.

Chickpeas are mentioned in [[Charlemagne]]'s ''Capitulare de villis'' (ca. 800 CE) as cicer italicum, to be grown in each [[manorialism|imperial demesne]]. [[Albertus Magnus]] mentions three varieties: red, white, and black. According to [[Nicholas Culpeper|Culpeper]], "chick-pease or cicers" are less "[[flatulence|windy]]" than peas and more nourishing. Placed under the dominion of [[medical astrology|Venus]], they offered a number of medical uses, including increasing sperm and milk, provoking menstruation and urine, and helping to treat [[kidney stone]]s. Wild cicers were thought to be especially potent.

Chickpeas were grown in some areas of Germany for use as a [[coffee]] substitute in the [[World War I|First World War]].


==Production trends==
[[Image:2005chickpea.PNG|thumb|right|Chickpea output in 2005]]
{| class="wikitable" align=left style="clear:left"
! colspan=2|Top Ten Chickpea Producers — 2005<br>(1000 tonnes)
|-
| {{IND}} || align="right" | 5,470
|-
| {{PAK}} || align="right" | 868
|-
| {{TUR}}  || align="right" | 610
|-
| {{MYA}} || align="right" | 530
|-
| {{IRN}} || align="right" | 310
|-
| {{ETH}} || align="right" | 216
|-
| {{MEX}}|| align="right" | 133
|-
| {{AUS}} || align="right" | 116
|-
| {{CAN}} || align="right" | 103
|-
| {{SYR}} || align="right" | 65
|-
|'''World Total''' || align="right" | '''8,421'''
|-
|colspan=2|''Source: <br>[[UN Food & Agriculture Organisation]] (FAO)''[http://faostat.fao.org/site/340/default.aspx]
|}

==Etymology==
The name "chickpea" derives ultimately from the Latin name ''[[cicer]]'' through the French ''chiche''. The Roman surname [[Cicero]] is derived from this plant.  The word "garbanzo" comes from the [[Spanish language]], an alteration (perhaps influenced by Old Spanish ''garroba'' or ''algarroba'') of the Old Spanish ''arvanço'', perhaps from Greek ''erebinthos'' .<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=garbanzo "Garbanzo"] dictionary.com</ref>

==Nutrition==

Chickpeas are a good source of [[zinc]]<ref>[http://www.vegsoc.org/info/zinc.html#diet Vegetarian Information Sheet: Zinc]</ref>, [[folate]] a
nd [[protein]].<ref>[http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html Vegetarian Information Sheet: Protein]</ref>  They are also very high in [[dietary fiber]] and thus are a healthy food source, especially as a source of [[carbohydrates]] for persons with [[insulin]] sensitivity or [[diabetes]].  They are low in fat, and most of the fat content is [[Polyunsaturated fat|polyunsaturated.]]

One hundred grams of mature boiled chickpeas contains 164 calories, 2.6 grams of fat (of which only 0.27 gram is saturated), 7.6 grams of dietary fiber, and 8.9 grams of protein. <!-- ref>http://www.dhreport.com/articles/foodvalues/result_display.php?id=4568 (URL is a dead link)</ref -->

Chickpeas are also a significant source of [[calcium]] (190 mg/100 g). Some sources quote it as equal to yogurt and close to milk. According to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, on an average, chickpea seed contains:






* 23% protein
* 64% total carbohydrates  (of which: * 47% starch * 6% soluble sugar)
* 5% fat
* 6% crude fiber
* 3% ash

They also report high mineral content:
* phosphorus (340 mg/100 g)
* calcium (190 mg/100 g)
* magnesium (140 mg/100g)
* iron (7 mg/100 g)
* zinc (3 mg/100 g)

In addition, chick peas and bengal grams make excellent curries and are one of the most popular vegetarian food in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[UK]].

==Plant photos==
<gallery>
Image:Cicer arietinum HabitusFruitsFlowers BotGardBln0906.jpg|Habitus, Fruits and Flowers
Image:Cicer arietinum HabitusFruits BotGardBln0906a.jpg|Habitus and Fruits 
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Gram flour]]

==External links==
{{commons|Cicer arietinum|Chickpea}}

[[Category:Faboideae]]
[[Category:Edible legumes]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Underutilized crops]]