General description and special characteristics – One of the oldest cultivated legumes on record, chickpea is a key ingredient in such well-known Asian and Middle-Eastern foods as humus, falafel, and Burmese (Shan) tofu. Chickpea is grown in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions. Two types of chickpea are recognized: desi (colored, small seeded, angular, and fibrous) and kabuli (beige, large-seeded, and ramshead shaped, with lower fiber content). The kabuli is grown in temperate regions, while the desi is grown in the semi-arid tropics (Muehlbauer and Singh, 1987; Malhotra et al., 1987).
Varieties –
- Burma red: Produces small, rough-coated, red-brown seed (Desi type); approximately 3.5 months to first seed harvest.
- Burma round: Produces large, round, smooth, light-brown seed (Kabuli type); approximately 4.5 months to first harvest.