Peanuts

Peanuts have been around for 2,000 years: from their home in South America, these legumes travelled to Europe and Africa through Spanish and Portuguese traders, before travelling to the North American South courtesy of African slaves. 

Did you know… 

Although GM peanuts are not yet available on the market, scientists are working to remove the crop’s allergens, as well as to make peanuts resistant to fungal infections.

Chickpeas have been grown since ancient times: the Romans ate them, as a broth, or roasted them as a snack; and cultivated several varieties are known only as Venus, Ram, and Punic. Chickpeas were even grown in some parts of Germany to serve as a coffee substitute during the First World War.

Chickpeas are now the world’s most widely consumed legume. They usually come in pale yellow, but India cultivates a few red, black, and brown varieties. Chickpeas also come in a variety of names: they are called garbanzos, grams, and Egyptian peas. In Italy, they are known as Ceci; in Germany, as Kichererbse; and in Greece, as revisit.

ICRISAT is working on chickpeas that will grow even in adverse abiotic conditions, such as drought and floods. ICRISAT also maintains chickpea germplasm and is currently distributing varieties that mature early, or are resistant to blight, or higher-yielding.