The chickpea or chick pea is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high in protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes, and 7500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East.
Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.
Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray.
A samosa is a South Asian fried or baked pastry with a savory filling like spiced potatoes, onions, peas, beef and other meats, or lentils. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the local cuisines of South Asia, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa. Due to emigration and cultural diffusion from these areas, samosas today are often prepared in other regions.
Farinata, socca, torta di ceci, or cecina is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. It originated in Genoa and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Sea coast, from Nice to Sardinia and Elba islands. It is also typical in Gibraltar, where it is called calentita.
Harira is a traditional North African soup prepared in Morocco and Algeria. It is popular as a starter but is also eaten on its own as a light snack. There are many variations and it is mostly served during Ramadan, although it can be made throughout the year.
Chaat or chat is a savoury snack that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across the Indian subcontinent in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. With its origins in Uttar Pradesh, India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of the Indian subcontinent. The word derives from Hindi cāṭ चाट, from cāṭnā चाटना, from Prakrit caṭṭei चट्टेइ.
A papadum, appalam or papad is a seasoned flatbread made from dried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. Papadums are typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka or as an appetiser, often with a dip such as chutneys or toppings such as chopped onions and chillies, or they may be used as an ingredient in sabjis.
Dhokla is a vegetarian culinary dish that is found mainly in the Indian state of Gujarat and parts of adjacent states. It is made with a fermented batter derived from rice, ground urad dal, and chickpea flour. Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish, or as a snack. Dhokla is very similar to Khaman, however Dhokla is made of batter derived from mixture of rice flour and chickpea flour, whereas Khaman is typically made from Chickpeas gram and looks yellow in color. Khaman has become widely popular outside Gujarat but is misunderstood or incorrectly known as Dhokla.
Shami kabab or shaami kabab, literally meaning "Syrian Kebab", is a local variety of kebab. It is a popular Middle Eastern dish all over South and Western Asia. It is composed of a small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but occasionally lamb or mutton, with ground chickpeas, egg to hold it together, and spices. Shami kebab is eaten as a snack or an appetizer, and is served to guests especially in the regions of Dhaka, Deccan, Punjab, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Sindh.
Chikki is a traditional Indian sweet (brittle) generally made from nuts and jaggery/sugar. There are several different varieties of chikki in addition to the most common groundnut (peanut) chikki. Each variety of chikki is named after the ingredients used, which include puffed or roasted Bengal gram, sesame, puffed rice, beaten rice, or khobra, and other nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios.
Kadhi or karhi is a dish originating from the Rajasthan. It consists of a thick gravy based on gram flour, and contains vegetable fritters called pakoras, to which dahi (yogurt) is added to give it a bit of sour taste. It is often eaten with cooked rice or roti.
Pasteles, also known as pastelles in the English-speaking Caribbean, are a traditional dish in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and Panama, it looks like a tamale. In Hawaii, they are called pateles in a phonetic rendering of the Puerto Rican pronunciation of pasteles, as discussed below.
Chole bhature is a food dish originating from northern India. it is a combination of chana masala and bhatura/Puri, a fried bread made from maida. Although it is known as a typical Punjabi dish, there are varied claims around the origin of dish. Some sources claim it to be originated in Delhi while others claim Eastern Uttar Pradesh to be the place of origin. The dish is also very popular in Pakistan as a breakfast meal.
Burmese tofu is a food of Shan origin, made from water and flour ground from yellow split peas and the Burmese version of chickpea flour, also known as besan flour, in a fashion similar to polenta. The flour is mixed with water, turmeric, and a little salt and heated, stirring constantly, until it reaches a creamy consistency. It is then transferred into a tray and allowed to set. It can also be made using dried chickpea instead of processed flour. In this process, dried chickpeas are soaked overnight. Once the peas have been re-hydrated, they are ground into a puree with some of the liquid used to soak the peas, then allowed to set for a couple of hours. Much of the top layer of clear liquid is then skimmed off and the remaining puree is brought to a boil with turmeric and salt and cooked and set in the same manner as the version using chickpea flour. It is matte yellow in colour, jelly-like but firm in consistency, and does not crumble when cut or sliced. It may be eaten fresh as a Burmese tofu salad or deep-fried into a Burmese fritter. It may also be sliced and dried to make crackers for deep frying. Despite the name, Burmese tofu is unrelated to Chinese tofu, which is made from soy milk with added coagulants.
Cocido madrileño is a traditional chickpea-based stew from Madrid, Spain. A substantial dish prepared with meat and vegetables, it is most popular during the winter but is served throughout the year in some restaurants. Initially it was a dish for humble people, but it started to climb in society thanks to its inclusion in restaurant menus. The chickpea was included in the Cartago age, and later it was used in medieval age in Spain.
Ghugni is a snack, native to the Indian subcontinent, especially popular in Bangladesh and Eastern India, Northeast India. Black gram, dried yellow peas, or dried white peas are cooked with gravy in the traditional style. It is then served with puffed rice (kurmura) and at times with hot onion pakoda or bhajiya. It is also served with poori. Some versions include meat, such as goat or even lamb or chicken. The meat is usually minced or in bite-sized pieces, mostly for flavoring. "Mangsher ghugni" or meat keema ghugni has been described as a "Kolkata trademark". It is a common and affordable food throughout Bangladesh, especially during Ramadan.
A tomato omelette is a breakfast dish prepared mostly in Maharashtra. It is referred to as an omelette because of its visual appearance, but actually contains no egg product or by-product and is actually vegan. The main ingredient is chickpea flour or besan. Sometimes, it is also made with dosa batter, with a small quantity of besan only to provide binding, in which case it is classified as Uttapam.
Mont di is a collective term for Burmese dishes made with thin rice noodles. The vermicelli is used fresh, as it ferments quickly in Myanmar's tropical climate. There are a number of mont di dishes, and the Rakhine mont di of the Arakanese from western Myanmar is the most popular. Mandalay mont di is another well-known dish. A handful of regional rice vermicelli dishes, such as Mawlamyaing mohinga and Kengtung khao sen, are also interchangeably called "mont di."
Vada[vəɽɑː] or bada[bəɽɑː] is a category of savoury fried snacks from India. Different types of vadas can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, doughnuts, or dumplings. Alternative names for this food include wada, vade, vadai, wadeh and bara.
