Posted on 01/09/2007 10:44:14 AM PST by blam
'Brainy' chickpeas conquered the world
09 January 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Could the humble chickpea have changed the course of history? As one of the founder crops cultivated in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, the chickpea's nutritional benefits have been cited as one of the reasons for the rise of civilisation there.
Now Zohar Kerem from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, thinks he has evidence to support that view. Kerem and colleagues collected wild chickpeas (Cicer reticulatum) and compared their nutritional value with that of cultivated varieties. Wild chickpeas are rare and difficult to cultivate, so there must have been a good reason why our ancestors persevered with growing them around 11,000 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
Yep. The primary ingredient of hommus or hummus (either spelling is correct) is chickpeas. Also, depending on the recipe, sesame paste (tahini), garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, and olive oil. Good stuff, but it ain't very pretty.
The Romans ate a lot of chickpeas...it must have worked.
possibly related:
Fresh Beans
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/produce/freshbeans.html
[sidebar]
Fava beans were the only beans known to ancient Western peoples before the discovery of America... Modern medical researchers have determined that a significant percentage of eastern Mediterranean peoples are allergic to fava beans and speculate that this allergy may have been an underlying reason for the famous philosopher's prohibition.
Interesting. Thanks.
c'mon, they're butt heads.
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