The chickpea or chick pea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Chickpeas are a type of pulse, with one seedpod containing two or three peas. It has white flowers with blue, violet, or pink veins. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Its seeds are high in protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East. India produced 64% of the worldâ??s total chickpeas. Mature chickpeas can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, ground into flour, ground and shaped in balls and fried as falafel, made into a batter and baked to make farinata or cecina, or fried to make panelle. Chickpea flour is known as gram flour or besan in South Asia and used frequently in South Asian cuisine. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content 20% or higher of the Daily Value of protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus. Thiamin, vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc contents are moderate, providing 10-16% of the Daily Value. Chickpeas have a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score of about 0.76 which is higher than many other legumes and cereals.
