Chickpeas, Cultivation Type : Natural

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.

Chickpeas have a history that goes back to as far as 10,000 BC and even more. These are one of the ancient crops that were used by the hunters for sustaining their lives. The area that first began to grow chickpeas was the Middle East but later they were being grown in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece during 7500 BC, where these were consumed in various forms like raw, broth, snacks, etc. They were later brought during the 16th century by the Spanish explorers, and since then chickpeas have been used in many forms. In fact, during the First World War, Germany started cultivating chickpeas as a coffee substitute.