The
chickpea or
chick pea () is a
legume of the
family Fabaceae, subfamily
Faboideae. It is also known as
gram, or
Bengal gram,
garbanzo or
garbanzo bean, and sometimes known as
Egyptian pea,
ceci,
cece or
chana, or
Kabuli chana (particularly in northern India). Its seeds are high in
protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the
Middle East.