In praise of the chickpea

All About the Most Underrated Legume

Let’s talk about chickpeas - humble, hearty, and in my opinion, possibly the best legume out there.

Sure, they’re nutritious - packed with plant protein, fiber, iron, folate, and slow-burning carbs. But chickpeas don’t stop at just being good for your body. They’re also remarkably good for the planet.

A Soil-Boosting Supercrop

Chickpeas belong to the legume family, which means they’re part of an elite club of plants that “fix” nitrogen in the soil. But what does that really mean?

On the roots of the chickpea plant, you’ll find small round nodules - that’s where the magic happens. These nodules are home to bacteria that work in tandem with the plant to take nitrogen from the air and convert it into forms that plants can actually use. The result? Chickpeas not only feed themselves, but leave behind richer soil for future crops. It’s regenerative farming at its best -  without any high-tech tools, just a symbiotic relationship that’s been evolving for millennia.

Even among legumes, chickpeas shine. They’re exceptionally drought-resistant, able to grow in dry, low-rainfall regions where other crops might fail. With a relatively short growing season - typically just 90 to 120 days from sowing to harvest in Indian rabi (winter) cycles - they’re a smart fit for grain-legume rotations and low-input farming systems.

In short, they nourish the eater, the farmer, and the earth. Name another snack with a resume like that.

The Many Lives of a Chickpea

But for all their agricultural brilliance, what I love most is how chickpeas move so effortlessly between forms - and how often they show up in the gentle, joyful corners of everyday life.

There’s the fresh green chickpea, still in its fuzzy pod - a springtime treat in many parts of India. As a child, I remember sitting on the floor with family, slowly shelling them one by one - half snack, half slow meditation. Lightly steamed, they taste like sweet peas with a nutty twist.

Then there are the black chickpeas, also known as kala chana. Smaller, darker, and with a sturdier bite than their pale counterparts, they’re packed with antioxidants. In many Indian homes, they appear in sprouted salads, or simmered with onions and tomatoes in a humble but hearty curry.

And of course, there’s the chickpea in its most familiar supermarket form: the kabuli or garbanzo bean. These smooth, round, beige beans are the stars of hummus, stews, and salads around the world... but they’re only one part of the story.

Split a chickpea and you get chana dal, a staple in Indian kitchens. Grind it down, and you get besan (chickpea flour), the backbone of countless dishes: from crisp pakoras to soft dhoklas, from savory pancakes to sweets like besan laddoo.

From Festive Offerings to Puran Poli

In South India, whole chickpeas - often kala chana - are used in sundal, a stir-fry with coconut, curry leaf, mustard seeds, and just enough heat to wake up the palate. It’s as common at festive offerings as it is at house parties.

As kids, we’d get 10 rupees of pocket money and head straight to the street vendor for a cone of black chickpeas tossed with onion, tomato, and a shake of chaat masala. This perfect after-school snack was salty, spicy, chewy, and utterly satisfying.

And when chickpeas want to be sweet? They rise to the occasion. Puran poli, a soft flatbread filled with a spiced mix of cooked chana dal and jaggery, is a festival favorite, brushed with ghee and best eaten warm.

A Legume for All Seasons (and All Cultures)

Chickpeas are one of the oldest cultivated crops in human history -  over 7,000 years old, with origins in the Middle East. Today, they’re woven into the food cultures of nearly every continent. They’re revithia in Greece, ceci in Italy, garbanzos in Latin America, chana in South Asia, and a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine.

They can be roasted for a crunchy snack (the Romans were doing this long before bar nuts), whipped into vegan meringue (yes, aquafaba!), simmered into stews, or ground into flour. They work hot or cold, sweet or savory, humble or festive.

There are flashier legumes, sure. But chickpeas are the shape-shifters - they move quietly, confidently, and deliciously across taste, temperature, occasion, and culture.

So Here’s to the Chickpea

So, we might pass by the humble chickpea in the grocery aisle without a second glance. But it's been feeding people for millennia. It builds soil, weathers droughts, fills lunchboxes, holiday tables, and weeknight dinners.

It's not just a legume, it's a legacy - quietly essential, globally beloved, and always ready to show up on your plate.