Chickpea

Seeds of chickpea

The chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ), also real giggle, giggle Roman, Venus chick peas or field peas called, is a species of the genus chickpea ( Cicer ) in the subfamily Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). With the pea ( Pisum sativum ) it is not closely related. She is an old crop.

Origin of the name

The name chickpea ( MHG giggle, OHG kihhira ) is borrowed from Latin - Latin cicer called " pea". The name chickpea is thus a pleonasm and actually means " pea pea". The Latin species name arietinum " ram -like" was supposedly chosen because the semen is to resemble a ram's head.

Description

The chickpea is an annual herbaceous plant that reaches the stature heights of up to 1 meter. The four-sided stems are erect to horizontal branches and more or less. The change-constant leaves are pinnate and about 5 to 10 mm in size. The stipules are divided into two to five peaks.

Single in the leaf axils on a long stalk geknieten are the flowers. The purple, violet, purple or white flowers are 10 to 12 mm.

The approximately 3 cm relatively short legumes usually contain two irregularly shaped seeds of beige, dark or black color; the seeds can be eaten. The thousand seed mass, outdated the thousand kernel weight called, is 110-380 g

The seeds of chickpea can be easily confused with those of seed - pea ( Lathyrus sativus ).

System

The first publication of Cicer arietinum was in 1753 by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum 2: 738 synonyms for Cicer arietinum L. are: . Cicer album hort, arientinium Cicer L., Cicer arientinum L., Cicer edessanum Bornm, Cicer grossum Salisb. . , Cicer nigrum hort., Cicer physodes Rchb. , Cicer rotundum Alef. , Cicer Schkuhr sativum, Cicer sintenisii Bornm. , ononis crotalarioides MEJones.

Cicer arietinum is standard Cicer Cicer from the section in the subgenus within the genus Cicer Cicer.

Dissemination

In Asia Minor, the chickpea was already 8000 years ago in the cultivation and has spread from there to the Mediterranean and to India. You probably descended from the wild Cicer reticulatum Lad. Today chickpeas are grown in many subtropical areas of the world. India and Pakistan are the world leaders in production.

Varieties of chickpea make few demands on the ground and come up with a little water. In temperate climates, the yields are only slightly due to lack of heat.

History

Oldest finds date from the Neolithic Age (Neolithic ) in Turkey and the Middle East. In Greece from the late Neolithic period and since the beginning of the Metal Ages include legumes to the permanent collection of the food. In Urartu chickpeas were found in Karmir Blur, Yoncatepe and Bastam. Also from Troy VIIb and Gordion are known chickpeas.

Since classical antiquity, the chickpea in Greece and Italy is grown as crop. In Germany the only Fund of seeds from Roman times comes. In the agricultural goods order of Charlemagne, the chickpea is listed as, cicerum italicum 'in chapter 70. Hildegard of Bingen recommended giggle as easy and pleasant dining and as a remedy for fever. Albertus Magnus distinguished three different varieties: white, red and black or dark form. Hieronymus Bock mentioned the Zysern (name in herbal books of the 16th century for giggles: Ziser or Zisererbsen ) not for use in the kitchen, but rather as a medicine. After the First World War, was roasted chickpea dunkelsamige used as a coffee substitute in the vineyards on the Rhine and in Württemberg.

Historical cultural forms:

• Cicer arietinum fo. album with yellowish white seeds as food
• Cicer arietinum fo. fuscum with red-brown seeds
• Cicer arietinum fo. macrospermum with large black seeds as a coffee substitute
• Cicer arietinum fo. vulgare with black seed: for animal feed

Use

The chickpea is grown mainly for human nutrition. Main areas of cultivation of chickpea are Turkey today, North Africa, Mexico, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Spain. In Mexico and India chickpeas are still an important staple food. In the kitchen, see especially two kinds of applications: the small, shriveled seeds from India and the larger roundish, beige - yellow seeds from the Mediterranean, which are well-known and widespread in Europe.

You can get them ready cooked in cans or as dried seeds, similar to green peas. The dried seeds are cold- soaked ( 12 to 24 hours or more ) and then prepared for example as a stew, soup or puree. In the Near East and North Africa chickpeas are roasted and eaten like nuts, among others. From seasoned Kichererbsenbrei also in the Middle East and North Africa is produced widespread falafel. In oriental cuisine a paste made ​​from chickpeas and sesame among other things, called " hummus tahini we " or only briefly Hummus is ( in the Latin alphabet spelling varies ), very popular. Another preparation made ​​from chickpea flour is the Italian Farinata, which is known under the name Socca in the French city of Nice. Furthermore, one knows in Spain meals with chickpeas ( garbanzos span ) eg is cocido madrileño a boiled national dish. In the Orient as " ski Mitt " known a pastry from fermented seeds. In Turkey, you know twice roasted seeds under the name " Leblebi " that are eaten like nuts, but you also cooks a stew of meat, which is used throughout the country. In Provence, a pastry made ​​from chickpea flour is mixed with wheat flour. In India, prepared from young chickpea plants a salad or eaten chickpeas cooked vegetables as normal.

Ingredients

Raw " chickpeas " - correct would be " chickpea seeds " - contain the indigestible toxin Phasin and the bitter substance saponin, which is why the soaking water discarded, replaced at least once and used for cooking fresh water should be.

Chickpeas contain about 20 % protein with a relatively high proportion of essential amino acids lysine ( 10%) and threonine (5% ), 40 % carbohydrates, about 12 % dietary fiber, vitamin B1, B6 and folic acid. The mineral content of magnesium, iron and zinc is high. 100 g contains 275 kcal / 1152 kJ. Like all types of beans used the chickpea among others raffinose as a storage carbohydrate, though. , Only in relatively small amounts of 290mg per 100g dry weight This triple sugar can not be directly metabolized by humans, and thus enters the large intestine where it is broken down under the influence of intestinal bacteria with gas formation. Raffinose is to be regarded as dietary fiber ..

World production

India is the main supplier of chickpeas, followed by Pakistan and Turkey.

Diseases

The most important pests in chickpea cultivation Fusarium oxysporum, which triggers the Fusarium wilt, and Didymella rabiei ( Ascochyta rabiei Syn ). In some countries, such as Mexico, Italy and Australia and the chickpeas rust ( Uromyces ciceris - arietini ) is significant.

Pictures

Habit and fruits