Chickpea

Chickpeas are edible legumes belonging to the family of 'Fabaceae' with slightly round & irregular shape, and are slightly longer in size than the normal peas. They are also known by the names of 'garbanzo beans', and have a nut like taste with a high protein content in them. The plants of the chickpeas grow between 20-25 cm and have feathery leaves on both sides of the stem. The scientific name of chickpeas is 'Cicer arietinum', and they are also known as 'chana' in Hindi and several other names like 'Bengal Gram', 'Kadaale Kaalu', 'Sanaga Pappu', 'Shimbra', etc. Chickpeas can grow well only in sub tropical and tropical climates requiring an annual rainfall of more than 400 mm.

Types of Chickpeas

Chickpeas come in two basic varieties. These are:

Desi Chickpeas: These are split peas and are relatively smaller in size with dark, small seeds and a rough coat. Desi peas are also known as 'Bengal gram' or 'kala chana'. They are mostly cultivated in India, Mexico, Ethiopia and Iran. Desi chickpeas have a remarkably high fiber content and are thus suitable for people suffering from diabetes
Kabuli Chickpeas: These chickpeas are light, almost whitish cream in color, with larger seeds and a smoother coat as compared to the desi chickpeas. Introduced in India during the 18th century, the kabuli chickpeas are mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Chile and Afghanistan.
Cultivation of Chickpeas:
Chickpeas can withstand drought conditions, and are therefore, ideally suited for cultivation in areas which are relatively cooler and have a low level of rainfall. Since they are very sensitive to excess water, they grow well on sandy soils, but having an appropriate drainage conditions. Chickpeas are rabi crops that are grown in India during the periods of September to November. While desi type chickpeas take 95-105 days to mature, kabuli types chickpeas take 100-110 days to mature. The harvesting of chickpeas is done during the months of February, March and April. At times, chickpeas are also grown on a rotation basis, along with other crops like jowar, bajra, wheat and coriander.

Nutritional Elements of Chickpeas

Chickpeas are healthy as they contain many nutritional elements that are deemed necessary for the proper growth of our body. Chickpeas contain many vital vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2 and B3, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Folate and Pantothenic acid. They also contain many important minerals like calcium, iron, molybdenum, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, etc. Other nutrients that are found in chickpeas are dietary fibers, carbohydrates, proteins, water, etc.

Benefits of Consuming Chickpeas

The various benefits arising out of the consumption of chickpeas are:

As chickpea are rich in dietary fibers, both soluble and insoluble, they help a lot in reducing the level of cholesterol and also in preventing the blood sugar level from rising too much immediately after having a meal
Being a rich source if molybdenum, chickpeas help in detoxifying sulphites, which can otherwise cause rapid heartbeats or headache if consumed too much by sulphite sensitive people. Too much reaction to sulphite is caused mainly due to lack of molybdenum to detoxify them.
The presence of iron in chickpeas helps in replenishing lost energy, particularly for women who are menstruating or when they are pregnant. Also, chickpeas are low on calories and virtually fat free
Chickpeas are also high on trace minerals like manganese which is an important part of many energy producing enzymes. Iron also helps in improving the hemoglobin level, thereby improving the flow of blood to the heart
The various counts of Kabuli Chickpeas we offer are: 40/42, 42/44, 44/46, 58/60 and 75/80