Listing description
The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a
perennial legume from the family Fabaceae. Since its domestication in South Asia at least 3,500 years ago, its seeds have become
a common food grain in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Detailed description
Common names
·
arhar dal (अरहर दाल, Hindi), harada dali (Odia), orhor
dal (অড়হর ডাল, Bangla), rohor
dail (ৰহৰ দাইল, Assamese)
·
fio-fio
·
mbaazi
·
no-eye pea
·
red gram
·
tropical green pea
·
tubarikA (तुबरिका, Sanskrit), thuvara parippu (തുവരപ്പരിപ്പ്, Malayalam),[1] thuvaram paruppu (துவரம் பருப்பு, Tamil), togari bele(ತೊಗರಿ ಬೇಳೆ, Kannada), toovar / tuver (તુવેર) / tuver ni dal (તુવેરની દાળ, Gujarati), toor dal (तूर दाल Hindi, तूर डाळ Marathi)
Origins
The cultivation of
the pigeon pea goes back at least 3,500 years. The centre of origin is the
eastern part of peninsular India, including the state of Odisha, where the closest wild relatives (Cajanus
cajanifolia) occur in tropical deciduous woodlands.[2] Archaeological finds
of pigeon pea include those from two Neolithic sites in Odisha, Gopalpur and Golbai
Sassandating between 3,400 and 3,000 years ago, and sites in South India, Sanganakallu and Tuljapur
Garhi, also dating back to 3,400 years ago.[3] From India it
traveled to East Africa and West Africa. There, it was first encountered by
Europeans, so it obtained the name Congo Pea. By means of the slave trade it
came to the American continent, probably in the 17th century.[4]
Cultivation
Today, pigeon peas
are widely cultivated in all tropical and semitropical regions of both the Old and the New Worlds.
Pigeon peas can be of a perennial variety, in which the crop can last three to
five years (although the seed yield drops considerably after the first two
years), or an annual variety more suitable for seed production.
Pigeon peas are an
important legume crop of rainfed
agriculture in the semiarid tropics. The Indian subcontinent, eastern Africa
and Central America, in that order, are the world's three main pigeon
pea-producing regions. Pigeon peas are cultivated in more than 25 tropical and
subtropical countries, either as a sole crop or intermixed with cereals, such assorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetium
glaucum), or maize (Zea mays),
or with other legumes, such as peanuts (Arachis hypogaea).
Being a legume, the pigeon pea enriches soil through symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
The crop is
cultivated on marginal land by resource-poor farmers, who commonly grow
traditional medium- and long-duration (5–11 months) landraces. Short-duration
pigeon peas (3–4 months) suitable for multiple cropping have recently been
developed. Traditionally, the use of such input as fertilizers, weeding,
irrigation, and pesticides is minimal, so present yield levels are low (average
= 700 kg/ha). Greater attention is now being given to managing the crop
because it is in high demand at remunerative prices.
Pigeon peas are very
drought-resistant, so can be grown in areas with less than 650 mm annual
rainfall. With the maize crop failing three out of five years in drought-prone
areas of Kenya, a consortium led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) aimed to
promote the pigeonpea as a drought-resistant, nutritious alternative crop.
Successive projects encouraged commercialization of legumes, by stimulating the
growth of local seed production and agro-dealer networks for distribution and
marketing. This work, which included linking producers to wholesalers, helped
to increase local producer prices by 20–25% in Nairobi and Mombasa. The
commercialization of the pigeon pea is now enabling farmers to buy assets,
ranging from mobile phones to productive land and livestock, and is opening
pathways for them to move out of poverty.[5]
World production of
pigeonpeas is estimated at 4.3 million tons2. About 82% of this is
grown in India. These days it is the most essential ingredient of animal feed
used in West Africa, especially in Nigeria, where it is also grown.
John Spence, a botanist and politician from Trinidad and Tobago, developed several varieties of dwarf pigeon peas which can be
harvested by machine, instead of by hand.[6]
Uses
Pigeon peas are both
a food crop (dried peas, flour, or green vegetable peas) and a forage/cover
crop. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a
well-balanced human food. The dried peas may be sprouted briefly, then cooked,
for a flavor different from the green or dried peas. Sprouting also enhances
the digestibility of dried pigeon peas via the reduction of indigestible sugars
that would otherwise remain in the cooked dried peas.[7]
In India, split
pigeon peas (toor dal) also called Kandhi pappu in Telugu,
Togari bele in Kannada and Tuvaram paruppu
in Tamil are one of the most popular pulses, being an important source of protein in a mostly
vegetarian diet. In regions where it grows, fresh young pods are eaten as a
vegetable in dishes such as sambar. In Ethiopia, not only the pods,
but also the young shoots and leaves are cooked and eaten.
In some places, such
as the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama and Hawaii, pigeon
peas are grown for canning and consumption. A dish made of rice and green
pigeon peas (called moro de
gandules) is a traditional food in the Dominican Republic. Pigeon peas are
also made as a stew, with plantainballs.
In Puerto Rico arroz con
gandules is made with rice and pigeon peas and
is a traditional dish. Trinidad and Tobago and Grenadahave their own variant, called pelau, which includes either
beef or chicken, and occasionally pumpkin and pieces of cured pig tail. In the
Atlantico department of Colombia the sopa de
guandú con carne salada (or
simply "gandules") is made with pigeon peas.
Unlike in some other
parts of the Greater Caribbean, in The Bahamas the light brown
colored dried seeds of the pigeon pea plant are used (instead of the fresh
green pigeon peas used elsewhere) to make the heartier, heavier, signature
Bahamian staple dish "Peas 'n Rice." A slab of partially cubed or
diced pork "fatback" lard with skin on (bacon is a common
substitute), diced onions and sweet pepper, and a mixture of spices are all
sauteed in the bottom of a deep pot. Tomatoes and tomato paste are added. Then
water is added along with the peas and rice, and slow boiled until tender. The
dish becomes a medium-dark brown color, resulting from absorbing the colors of
the browned initial ingredients and the cooked tomato paste. The pigeon peas
themselves absorb the same, becoming a much darker brown, providing some
contrast while still complementing the distinctive "browned" theme of
the dish.[9]
In Thailand, pigeon peas are
grown as a host for scale insects which produce lac,
the key ingredient in shellac.
Pigeon peas are in
some areas an important crop for green manure, providing up to
90 kg nitrogen per hectare (Adu-Gyamfi et al., 2007) . The woody stems of
pigeon peas can also be used as firewood, fencing and thatch.
Genome sequence
The pigeon pea is
the first seed legume plant to have its complete genome sequenced. The
sequencing was accomplished by a global research partnership, the International
Initiative for Pigeonpea Genomics (IIPG), led by ICRISAT with partners such
as BGI –Shenzhen (China), US research laboratories like University of Georgia,
University of California-Davis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and National
Centre for Genome Resources, European research institutes like the National
University of Ireland Galway and also support from the CGIAR Generation
Challenge Programme, US National Science Foundation and in-kind contribution
from the collaborating research institutes.[10][11] It is the first time
that a Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR)-supported Center such as ICRISAT led the genome sequencing of a food
crop. In parallel, a group of 31 Indian scientists from the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research also published its
genome sequence in an Indian journal.[12]
Nutrition[edit]
|
Nutrient contents in %DV
of common foods (raw, uncooked) per 100 g
|
|||
|
Protein
|
Vitamins
|
Minerals
|
|
Ch. = Choline; Ca =
Calcium; Fe = Iron; Mg = Magnesium; P = Phosphorus; K = Potassium; Na = Sodium;
Zn = Zinc; Cu = Copper; Mn = Manganese; Se = Selenium; %DV = % daily value
i.e. % of DRI (Dietary Reference
Intake) Note: All nutrient values including protein are
in %DV per 100 grams of the food item. Significant values are highlighted
in light Gray color and bold letters.[13][14] Cooking reduction
= % Maximum typical reduction in nutrients due to boiling without draining
for ovo-lacto-vegetables group[15][16]
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Pigeon peas contain
high levels of protein and the important amino acids methionine,lysine, and tryptophan.[17]
Following table
indicates completeness of nutritional profile of various amino acids within
mature seeds of pigeon pea.
|
Essential Amino Acid
|
Available mg/g of Protein
|
Min. Required mg/g of Protein
|
|
9.76
|
7
|
|
|
32.34
|
27
|
|
|
36.17
|
25
|
|
|
71.3
|
55
|
|
|
70.09
|
51
|
|
|
22.7
|
25
|
|
|
110.4
|
47
|
|
|
43.1
|
32
|
|
|
35.66
|
18
|
As can be seen from
the table above, Methionine+Cystine combination is the only limiting amino acid
combination in pigeon pea. In contrast to the mature seeds, the immature seeds
are generally lower in all nutritional values, however they contain a
significant amount of vitamin C (39 mg per 100 g serving) and have a
slightly higher fat content. Research has shown that the protein content of the
immature seeds is of a higher quality.
PRICE
$9.9/KG OR $4.5/IB
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