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• Chickpeas are pea-sized legumes often eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, or ground into a flour. Native to Asia, chickpeas have become a staple in many Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian dishes such as falafel and hummus. Popular among vegetarians, they are high in protein, zinc, calcium, folic acid and fiber.

  Chickpeas grow best in tropical or subtropical climates with plenty of rain. The plant is between one and two feet high, covered with feathery leaves and seed pods, each of which with yield two or three chickpeas.

  Chickpeas were among the first crops to be cultivated by humans as evidenced by fossil records dating back 7,500 years.

• Fast Facts

  1. Called garbanzo beans in Spain, ceci beans in Italy
  2. From the Latin word "cicer"
  3. Roman surname Cicero derived from this plant
  4. Two types: Desi and Kabuli
  5. Usually sold dried or canned

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  How to Make Hummus | How to Make Salsa | Indian Food | Mediterranean Food | Middle Eastern Food | Spanish Food | Organic Food | Vegan Food | Vegetarian Food | Tonka Bean | Fava Beans | Lima Beans | Mung Beans | Hummus

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