Chickpeas – an exhaustive study and how to cook them by Cajun Chef Ryan. Below is an excerpt from vegeyum.wordpress.com.
Chickpeas are great for vegetarians. A half a cup has about 17 grams of dietary fibre and 19 grams of protein. They are also considered more digestible than most other beans – ie less gas!
From a nutritional standpoint, chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, proteins that are devoid of purines, and are therefore ideally suited to those who suffer from gout. With respect to other legumes they have a higher fat content, which makes them more caloric; they are therefore not what one wants during a diet. However, they are quite rich in calcium, making them a good choice for combating osteoporosis, are also rich in iron, and are an excellent source of fiber. They’re instead sodium-poor, which makes them a good bet for those on reduced sodium diets.
Soaking and Cooking Chickpeas – You can buy chickpeas in a can, but they taste so much better if you cook them yourself. If you buy raw chickpeas, in fact any dried bean or pea, check the production date on the package, because if they are too old they simply won’t soften no matter how long they soak or cook.
