Pulses

Pulses are the edible fruit or seed of pod-bearing plants and are widely grown throughout the world. They have a high protein content ranging from 20-40%, which makes them important as a major source of proteins in the diets of population dependent mainly on cereals as staple foods around the world. Economically, they provide reasonably good quality protein at a fraction of  the cost of animal proteins.  In most of the parts of the world, pulses are traditionally consumed either in the whole or in the dehulled split form, as soft-cooked products. Almost all pulses are grown in India. Red gram or tur (arhar or pigeon pea), Bengal gram or chick-pea (chana), Black gram or urad and Green gram or mung are considered as major pulses depending on their production and consumption while moth or tepary bean, lentil, horsegram or kulthi, peas, khesari dhal and others (cow pea, cluster bean or guar, French bean or  kidney bean, Indian bean or field bean and soybean) etc. are known as minor pulses, since they are grown and consumed only in certain regions. Many of the pulses contain toxic factors, which cause many diseases in human. The toxic factors can be eliminated either by heat processing or by leaching them out in boiling water.