CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Consider the chickpea. It’s been cultivated and consumed for over 7000 years but is still chic enough to chart at #9 in Whole Foods’ Top Ten Food Trends for 2021. The food influencers there call it “the new cauliflower—popping up in products like chickpea tofu, chickpea flour, and even chickpea cereal.” We call it perennially popular on its own. With so many splendid attributes, it takes a full alphabet to even begin to spell out its vast appeal. So here goes -- and don’t forget to fasten your seat belt -- there may be just a little flatulence along the way.
A is for Aquafaba: On March 6, 2015, an American software engineer posted his discovery, based on earlier research by a French tenor, that chickpea brine could be whipped just like egg whites to create vegan meringue, a gateway confection that led directly to more indulgent treats like macarons, feather-light chocolate cakes, and, of, course, lemon meringue pie. He also came up with the ingenius name, a lovely reversion to the Latin for “bean water,” which up-styles the vaguely translucent murky gunk in each and every can of chickpeas into a magical brew that is transformed into gossamer deliciousness after a mere six minute encounter with a stand mixer and some sugar. For best results, 3/4 cup aquafaba, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch of cream of tartar.
B is for Bengal Gram: The chickpea has many, many names. This is one of them. Bengal is for the region in India where this variation of chickpeas come from, a gram indicates that it is a small legume. It is usually skinned, split, and then polished to become the essential-in-Indian-cooking chana dal-split chickpea.
C is for Chickpea: It is a member of the Fabaceae, or legume, family, genus cice. The chickpea is the best-known and only domesticated member of the species, Cicer arietinum, named after Aries, as the dried pea resembles the head of the astrological ram. The Greek orator, Cicero, came from a family that grew chickpeas. They have been cultivated as early as 7500 BCE in Turkey, and 3500 years later, they had spread to the Fertile Crescent, the Mediterranean basin, and India. Charlemagne mentioned them about 800 CE and in the early 17th century, the English botanist, Nicholas Culpeper, remarked that “chick-pease or cicers” are less “windy” than peas and more nourishing. Which brings us to the point that chickpeas have nothing to do with chickens. It is an Anglo spin on the French “pois chiche” which became chich-pease and, ultimately, chickpeas. C is also for coffee-substitute. Since the late 18th century in Europe, ground roasted chickpeas have been brewed when coffee was hard to find. Just FYI, there is no caffeine in chickpea coffee.
D is for Desi: The “Indian” variety of chickpea, it means “country” or “local” in Hindi, and has small, darker seeds. It’s grown in Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran, as well as India.
E is for Egyptian Pea: Another name for the Kabuli chickpea (see below), the legume pops up in myriad places in Egyptian cuisine: falafel, as well as a cumin-rich hummus, and perhaps uniquely, in koshary. Known as Egypt’s national dish, it is a well-loved street food consisting of rice, macaroni, and lentils, topped with spicy tomato sauce and garlic vinegar, with a chickpea and fried-onion garnish.
F is for Falafel: They can be made with fava beans, but mostly, deep-fried falafel balls are made from ground chickpeas. And there’s as many different ways to make them as there are add-ins to personalize your own pita. But you really haven’t had a proper falafel-pita sandwich unless you’ve had one stuffed with hummus, tahina, cucumber, tomatoes, pickled onions, carrots, beets, and, of course, frites, or French fries, anywhere in the Mideast.
G is for Garbanzo: One more name for chickpea, this one comes from a Basque compound garau, “seed”, and antzu, “dry”. Or it might be from Early Modern Spanish garbancos. Regardless, the one thing we absolutely know is that the garbanzo is not a bean. It, like its look- and taste-alike doppelganger, is a pea.
H is for Hummus: This dish is indisputably always made with chickpeas in order to be authentic. How do we know? Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea. It’s been consumed in quantity in the Mediterranean world for centuries, but its big overnight success story is in the New World. In 2006, hummus was purchased by about 12% of American households. By 2016, that number had doubled and continues to grow. As a sign that there really is some progress being made in the world, there’s talk that some tobacco farmers have switched over to chickpeas as a more profitable enterprise.
I is for Indian Fruit and Chickpea Salad: One of Joe Yonan’s (see Y below) more colorful recipes dresses up the inimitable, but still taupe, Kabuli chickpea in a lovely dish. See below for details and recipe.
J is for Just Chickpea Sandwich: Ok, that’s a little bit of a misnomer, but not much. Start with a cup of cooked chickpeas. Mash half of them lightly and half heavily and combine. Add Hellman’s or your favorite mayonnaise. Too much is just about right here, this is comfort food. You can just pile it as is between two pieces of good bread--this is where your fresh-baked sourdough would be so perfect—or add any or all of the following: chopped red onion, diced sweet or dill pickles, toasted hazelnuts, diced apple, dried sour cherries, capers, a can of good oil-packed tuna fish (drained), maybe a little tarragon or sandwich sprinkle. Enjoy.
K is for Kabuli: the non-Desi variety of chickpea, it literally means “from Kabul.” Lighter, larger, and with a smoother surface, it is nutty in taste and creamy in texture. Kabuli chickpeas are grown mostly in the Mediterranean, southern Europe, Northern Africa, South America and in the US.
L is for Lovely Complexion: Chickpea flour has been used for centuries as a mild skin cleanser and purifier. Try the recipe below for an at-home spa experience. It’s almost as gratifying as that pricy salon and you’ll be the envy of your next Zoom happy hour.
M is for Moroccan Vegetable Tagine: Super-blogger Suzy Karadsheh of The Mediterranean Dish has been, well, dishing on the food of her native Egypt and surrounding cuisines for some time. Her vegetable tagine is a bright sunny mélange of warm Moroccan flavors, with a lovely balance of sweet and savory flavors and a spike of heat from some well-chosen spices. See the photo above for a few details and check out the full recipe here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/moroccan-vegetable-tagine-recipe/
N is for Nitrogen: Unlike corn or wheat, chickpeas and other legumes improve the soil they’re planted in. Instead of taking nutrient-rich nitrogen out of the soil, they fix their own from the atmosphere, leaving extra amounts in the soil for future crops. They play an important role in crop rotation, because they do not rely on chemical fertilizers and are a key element in helping to restore the natural equilibrium of the Western grasslands.
O is for Overnight Soaking: The best way to prepare dry beans for cooking is by soaking for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight. The older the beans, the longer the soaking will take, so figure that in when you’re using those chickpeas from way back in your pantry. Rinse, then place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water and let them sit and do their thing. This speeds up the cooking time and makes them more digestible. After soaking, drain and rinse, then put in a large-enough pot with fresh water to cover. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Cooked chickpeas will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.
P is for Protein: Legumes have one of the highest percentages of plant protein. Just 100 grams, about 2/3 of a cup, provides almost 20 grams. That’s about the same as 3 eggs, or a 3-oz. chicken and lettuce wrap, 1 cup of chili with meat and beans, or four cups of chocolate ice cream.
Q is for Quiz: Just to make it a little more fun, and to see how closely you’ve been reading, take the following Chickpea Challenge. Some of it you’ll have to intuit a bit, but if you’ve been paying attention, you should ace it.
https://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz3086712356690.html
R is for Rainbow: Desi chickpeas come in a variety of colors, red, brown, green, black and yellow. The Kabuli version, most familiar to us, is offered only in that evergreen neutral, taupe.
S is for Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric: One of several of Alison Roman’s Zeitgeist-seizing recipes that broke the internet is several years old now, but still great. Let’s revisit it. See below for recipe.
T is for Tart: Joe Yonan’s (see Y below) tour de force chickpea recipe features the pea and aquafaba in a truly divine chocolate tart. Tasting is believing. See the recipe below.
U is for University of California, Davis’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Climate Resilient Chickpea Research: The lab concentrates on genetic improvement in chickpeas, focusing on the needs of small farmers in Ethiopia and India. In those countries, the chickpea is vital for food security, and provides a key source of protein and nutrition for the general population, and income for the farmer. Everyone wins on this one, bravo.
V is for Vitamins: And minerals and a whole lot of other really good content. In 2/3 of a cup of chickpeas you get at least 20% of your daily requirement of dietary fiber, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and folate, an essential and often over-looked micronutrient. Chickpeas can help prevent and control diabetes and heart disease with their blood-sugar-lowering affects.
W is for Warts: Yes, I know. We’ll keep it short. Ceci, the Italian word for chickpeas, is also used for warts, because of their similar appearance. At one time, it was believed that if you touched your wart to a chickpea plant on a full moon night, the wart would fall off. Along with Tom Sawyer’s “spunk-water” from a tree stump, it mostly doesn’t work.
X is for X-rated: The innocent-looking chickpea actually has a fairly notorious past in some circles. In ancient Rome it was thought to increase milk and sperm volume, and well as stimulate menstruation. This made it an apt offering to Venus, the goddess of love and fertility according to the philosopher-author, Pliny the Elder, and meals with chickpea dishes were often consumed at erotic parties held to honor the goddess.
Y is for Joe Yonan: Food and Wine Editor at the Washington Post and author of the recently published Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World’s Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes (Ten Speed Press). He embraces every bean but has a special place in his heart for the chickpea and describes it thus, “If I had to limit myself to one legume for the rest of my life, I would choose the chickpea, which is really my desert-island bean because of its unparalleled versatility. Beans can do so much already -- playing a role in every part of the meal, from appetizer to salad to main course to, yes, dessert -- but none can change course as seamlessly as the chickpea.”
Z is for Za’atar: This great chickpea whisperer, a Mediterranean spice mix that elevates almost every dish to the next flavor level, is a grand finale. You can get it at spice purveyors or better grocery stores, but why not make your own and customize the experience. See the recipe below.
Indian Fruit and Chickpea Salad from Joe Yonan’s Cool Beans
The crispy, spicy, chickpeas are more of a garnish here, but they work so well with the sweet ripe flavors of mango and papaya, it was an irresistible dish. Be sure to dry the chickpeas very well before submerging them in oil, or else you’ll be dodging flying orbs of very hot popping chickpeas, like I did.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cooked or canned no-salt-added chickpeas (from one 15-ounce can), drained and rinsed
Peanut, sunflower, or other neutral vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 small ripe papaya, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large ripe mango, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup tamarind-date chutney
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon finely chopped Thai green chile
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Preparation:
Pat the chickpeas dry between layers of paper towels. In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, pour the oil to a depth of ½ inch. When it shimmers, add the chickpeas and fry until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them onto a paper-towel-lined plate and toss with the curry powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the papaya, mango, chutney, lemon juice, cilantro, green chile, and cumin. Stir to combine thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the chickpeas, and serve. (Courtesy of Ten Speed Press)
Chickpea Flour Yogurt Face Mask
This well-known and well-used Indian-sourced facial mask will help exfoliate, soften, and moisturize dry skin. It’s gentle enough to use every day as the ingredients are safe enough to cook with.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons chickpea flour
2 teaspoons yogurt (full-fat Greek style works best)
One or two drops rose or orange water to enhance the experience (optional)
Preparation:
Mix flour and yogurt in a small bowl to form a soft and creamy paste. Add optional rose or orange water and stir to combine. Apply the paste onto your face in gentle circular motions and wait for it to dry, about 4-5 minutes. Rinse well with warm water, then splash with cold water to close pores. Pat dry. (Adapted from Bellatory.com)
Alison Roman’s New York Times Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric
Crunchy, garlicky, and divinely decadently creamy, this stew hits all the essential notes in one big bowl of comfort that’s good for you as well. The key is to get the right coconut milk. Try to find one that has stabilizers. It will keep the stew extra rich and creamy. After that, just put it together and enjoy, along with the
16,304 other folks who rated it 5 stars in the paper.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup mint leaves, for serving
Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)
Preparation:
Heat ¼ cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1½ teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey! Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you’d like. (Courtesy of The New York Times)
Za’atar
A sprinkle will spice up your hummus or baba ganoush and spike up the flavor when roasting cauliflower or lamb chops. Try a teaspoon or two in a marinade for chicken or mix it with olive oil for a superb dipping experience. The proportions here will get you started. You can tweak it as you go to get to your own personal best.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon dried thyme (and/or oregano)
1 tablespoon cumin (seeds or ground)
1 tablespoon coriander (seeds or ground)
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted until slightly golden and left whole
1 tablespoon sumac
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Aleppo chili pepper flakes
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. If using whole seeds, toast in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, then grind in a spice mill or the old-fashioned way in a mortar and pestle and add to the rest of the ingredients.
Chocolate Chickpea Tart
A recipe that’s hard to believe can be done….until you do it yourself. Rich and decadent, deeply chocolate, and layered with three different orange notes, even the crust, made of gingersnaps and figs, is cause for celebration.
Ingredients;
8 ounces gingersnap cookies, broken into pieces
8 dried figs, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted vegan or dairy butter at room temperature
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained (reserve the cooking liquid/aquafaba), and rinsed
water
¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70% cacao or higher) melted and cooled
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
½ cup aquafaba, (from the chickpea liquid reserved above)
Raspberries, for garnish
Put the cookie pieces in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the figs, butter, and salt and pulse until combined. Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling. Rinse and dry the food processor bowl, blade, and lid.
Working over a bowl, gently massage the chickpeas in your hands, picking them up a handful at a time, to help all the skins slip off when you heat them. Add the chickpeas (skins and all) to a small saucepan and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn off the heat. With a slotted spoon or small sieve, skim away and discard any of the skins that have floated to the top. Stir vigorously to get more skins to rise and keep skimming.
Pop any other skins off by hand, if you have the patience. (Aim to remove a heaping ½ cup of skins). It’s impossible to get all the skins, but the more you remove, the smoother the tart filling will be. Drain the chickpeas thoroughly and return them to the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the orange juice, Grand Marnier and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and let the liquid reduce until it becomes thick and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Transfer the chickpea mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Add the chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, orange zest, coconut oil, and 2 tablespoons of the aquafaba. Pulse a few times to combine, then process on high speed until very smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining aquafaba and continue processing, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour the chocolate-chickpea filling into the chilled prepared crust, smoothing the top evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, 1 to 2 hours. (if you are refrigerating the tart longer, cover with plastic wrap after it has set and refrigerate for up to 3 days).
To serve, remove the tart from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before popping the tart out of the tart ring. Cut it into slices, top with raspberries, and serve.
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