If chickpeas aren't a regular part of your diet, you're missing out on one of nature's truly perfect foods. Inside these cream-colored, mild-flavored legumes, you'll find hefty amounts of protein but very little fat, slow-burning complex carbohydrates, fiber (including the soluble fiber that may lower cholesterol), B vitamins, including folic acid,minerals and phytochemicals.

Chickpeas originated in the Middle East and also feature in Indian, Italian, Spanish, and Latin American cooking. Their delicate, nutlike, flavor makes them particularly adaptable to all sorts of recipes, salads, soups, dips, and pasta or grain dishes.

Availability and Purchasing
There are two common types of chickpeas: those with small, angular seeds, which may be yellow, green, light brown or even black in color and the larger, more rounded types which are normally beige/buff in color. The former are mostly found in the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Ethiopia and parts of Central America, whereas the latter are commonly found throughout southern Europe, Western Asia, the Nile Valley, North Africa and South America. They are available mainly dried whole or split. In parts of the world where chickpeas are grown they are frequently sold as the whole green plant from which the seeds are consumed fresh or the whole plant can be placed in a fire and the parched seeds eaten as a snack. They are also available tinned whole or as a puree Chickpea flour is also available in some countries.

When buying dried chickpeas in bags, look for uniformly sized, evenly colored chickpeas. If you buy in bulk, examine the chickpeas carefully for insect damage, which sometimes shows up as pinhole-sized marks. Check that the chickpeas are not cracked or broken.

Storage
Store dried chickpeas in a tightly closed container at cool room temperature; they should keep for up to a year, but since you don't know how long they've sat on your supermarket shelf, plan to use them within six months. Do not mix a new supply of chickpeas with older legumes; the mixture of old and new stock will cook unevenly. Store any leftover cooked chickpeas in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for three to four days. Cooked chickpeas may also be frozen.

Preparation
Dried chickpeas should be picked over before cooking; spread them on a white kitchen towel so that you can easily see and discard any dirt, debris, or damaged specimens. Then place the chickpeas in a strainer or colander and rinse them under cold water. Dried chickpeas have tough skins and are normally soaked before cooking. Soak dried chickpeas overnight and then simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours. Use twice as much water as dry product. Discard any chickpeas that float to the top after soaking. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat, partially cover the pot and simmer until the chickpeas are tender (for salads, remove from the heat while they are cooked but slightly firm; for soups and purees, cook them until they are very soft). Stir occasionally during cooking and add more water, if necessary. Don't keep the liquid at a rolling boil or the skins of the chickpeas may split. The chickpeas are done when they can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.

If using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them thoroughly before cooking to eliminate some of the sodium in the canning liquid. Plan to cook them for as short a time as possible (just to heat them through). If you are using them in salad or dip, the chickpeas don't need to be heated at all.

Nutritional Highlights
Serving - 1/2 cup (cooked)
Calories: 135
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrate: 23g
Fiber: 6.2g
Phosphorus: 138mg
Folate: 141 mcg
Copper: 0.3mg
Manganese: 0.8mg