Chickpea

Naming

The name "chickpea" traces back through the French ' to ', Latin for "chickpea" . The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' lists a 1548 citation that reads, "''Cicer'' may be named in English Cich, or ciche pease, after the Frenche tongue." The dictionary cites "Chick-pea" in the mid-18th century; the original word in English taken directly from French was ''chich'', found in print in English in 1388. In neo-Latin it is known as a "cece" in the singular, and "ceci" in the plural.

The word ', from an alteration of Old Spanish ', came first to American English as ''garvance'' in the 17th century, being gradually anglicized to ''calavance'', though it came to refer to a variety of other beans . The current form ''garbanzo'' comes directly from modern Spanish, and is commonly used in the United States.

Evolution

Domesticated chickpeas have been found in the aceramic levels of Jericho along with Çayönü in Turkey and in Neolithic pottery at Hacilar, Turkey. They were found in the late Neolithic at Thessaly, Kastanas, Lerna and Dimini, Greece. In southern France, Mesolithic layers in a cave at L'Abeurador, Hérault, have yielded wild chickpeas carbon dated to 6790±90 BC.

Chickpeas are mentioned in Charlemagne's ' as ', as grown in each imperial demesne. Albertus Magnus mentions red, white, and black varieties. Nicholas Culpeper noted "chick-pease or cicers" are less "windy" than peas and more nourishing. Ancient people also associated chickpeas with Venus because they were said to offer medical uses such as increasing sperm and milk, provoking menstruation and urine, and helping to treat kidney stones. "White cicers" were thought to be especially strong and helpful.

In 1793, ground-roast chickpeas were noted by a German writer as a substitute for coffee in Europe. In the First World War, they were grown for this use in some areas of Germany. They are still sometimes brewed instead of coffee.

Uses

Chickpea is a key ingredient in hummus, chana masala, and can be ground into flour and made into falafel. It is also used in salads, soups and stews. The chickpea is important in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and in 2016, India produced 64% of the world's total chickpeas.