Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
3.6.1 Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Peanut is widely consumed around the world as a roasted seed and is a source of oil for
cooking. A more complete description of this crop is covered in Chapter 6.
3.6.2 Lentil (Lens culinaris)
Lentil is a small seeded legume with high protein content, often included in vegetarian
diets. It is widely consumed in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It grows best in
semiarid areas with a dry period at harvest time. Being a cool season crop, it is
planted in the summer in the United States and Canada and in winter in India and Paki-
stan. The form consumed by humans is mostly as a cooked seed. Simply boiling the dry
seed produces a nutritious food. The grain may also be ground into flour for specialty
foods. Lentil flour also has uses in the textile and printing industries.
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3.6.3 Chickpea (Cicer arietinum)
Chickpea has a similar distribution as lentil, with the addition of semiarid parts of Latin
America. It is also known as Garbanzo bean and is a high protein staple food in many
diets. Two main types are grown: kabuli and desi. The kabuli types have larger seeds
and grow well under irrigation. Desi types grow well under rainfed conditions but the
smaller seed size is less desirable on the market. It is prepared by boiling the seeds or by
grinding the dry seeds to form flour. There are few industrial, nonfood uses.
3.6.4 Faba (Vicia faba)
Faba beans are consumed as a fresh vegetable or in the dry bean form. In the Middle
East it is a winter crop, being tolerant of cool temperatures. The high protein content
makes it an important part of many Asian and Latin American diets. The beans may
be roasted, boiled, or eaten fresh. In Egypt the dry beans are ground into a flour and
deep fried with spices to form falafel. Faba has higher concentrations of hemagglutinins
than other legumes and can cause intestinal reactions in humans. These proteins are
destroyed during cooking.
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3.6.5 Field Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
This is a large and varied class of grain legumes. It includes French beans, kidney
beans, wax beans, snap beans, and string beans. The vegetable types are normally
eaten in their green form as a boiled vegetable. Dried beans have about 22 percent
protein content. There are large variations in seed size and coloration. Their amino
acid makeup complements that of maize, which may explain why they are commonly
grown in association in Latin America.
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They are normally grown as a summer crop.
Harvesting is done by hand and using grain combines.
