Next in the Superfood Series… Chickpeas
Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans if you're across the pond) are delicious, versatile nutritional powerhouses that never fail to delight. They are a type of pulse (edible seed that grows in a pod – peas, lentils and beans are also pulses) and are grown, eaten, and enjoyed by people all over the world.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels
What makes chickpeas so special?
Healthy
Chickpeas are rich in health-promoting nutrients. They are a great source of dietary fibre, meaning they count towards one of your 5 a day (80g, ~3 heaped tbsp cooked). They are also a great source of protein, with 9g of per 100g, and this protein is considered high quality compared to many other pulses. Chickpeas have twice the protein of corn and four times the fibre of brown rice. They are also a good source of health-promoting fatty acids. They are rich in minerals including iron, magnesium and zinc, and are a great source of vitamins such as vitamin A and many of the Bs.
Planet-friendly
Chickpeas are a planet-friendly food for many reasons. The plant is what you call a 'nitrogen fixer', which means it captures nitrogen from the air and stores it in the soil, acting like a natural fertiliser. This keeps the soil healthy and reduces the need for artificial fertilisers. Growing chickpeas also demands less water than growing other popular crops. Finally, since it is a plant, it requires much less energy and resources than animal sources to produce the same volume of protein.
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Due to the chickpea's natural health & environmental benefits, chickpeas are often used as a crop to address food and economic insecurity. For example, PepsiCo launched Enterprise EthioPEA to help alleviate famine and malnutrition in Ethiopia and surrounding countries. You can read more about it here.
Versatile, easy, cheap
The versatility of the chickpea means that they are eaten all around the world in a wide variety of forms. They are eaten whole in soups, salads, and stews or can be made into flour to make baked products like bread. They can also be blended into sauces – the most famous one being hummus. They are easy to work with, and more and more people are experimenting with them and finding even more exciting uses for this superfood.
Finally – they’re cheap! You can buy chickpeas both dried and pre-cooked in cans. Buying them raw/dried is cheaper, but you’ll have to soak them before you can eat them. Alternatively, you can buy them pre-cooked in cans. Canned chickpeas are still very cheap - you can buy a tin of chickpeas for as little as 31p at ASDA. IF you’re able to buy organic chickpeas then that’s even better.
So, you’ve got your chickpeas and you want to cook them… Where should you start?
BBC Good Food have 31 great chickpea recipes for you to check out. My favourite is the roasted chickpea wraps.
Olive Magazine also has a great collection of 28 different chickpea recipes.
Enjoy!
I give Chickpeas 9/10
Key sources & further reading:
Jukanti et al. (2012) Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review, British Journal of Nutrition: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/nutritional-quality-and-health-benefits-of-chickpea-cicer-arietinum-l-a-review/BCD8920297E987AAABBC12BFF90EB0CF
Healabel: Chickpeas https://healabel.com/c-ingredients/chickpeas
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