In recent years, domestic markets and stores offer consumers exotic products: nuts, fruits and vegetables, a variety of cereals and more. Today we’ll talk about beans with names like chickpea and mung bean.

Chickpeas and Mash - comparison

The benefits of oil crops, which include legumes, have been known for a long time. Vegetarians especially appreciate their ability to replenish protein in the body. In more detail about the properties of chickpea and mash, as well as the difference between them, below in the article.

Origin

You can trace the history of origin, or introduction to culture according to written evidence left by our ancestors, according to some archaeological finds. Acquaintance with two stories is set out in the table:

Chickpeas	Mash
The evidence found by archaeologists indicates the cultivation of plants more than 7 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, near modern Turkey. This fact explains the emergence of the second name - "Turkish peas." From here, the product spread to such ancient countries as Greece, Egypt, Rome. Hearty beans were considered the food of the poor.	Mash, or mung beans, as it is called in Hindi, are mentioned in the ancient Indian holy books. Grains of culture were found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, in the excavations of Ancient Rome. The first such evidence was found about 5, 000 years ago.
It is believed that the name "chickpeas" culture received in honor of the eponymous sky goddess of Ancient Egypt. Chickpea in Egyptian mythology is the goddess of heaven, the wife of Hebe and the mother of a host of gods.	The most reliable is considered the information on the distribution of the product from India, Pakistan and nearby territories.

Did you know? The branches of Turkish peas were left in the tombs of the dead in Ancient Egypt in the hope that one of the great judges of the underworld, the god Geb, would not be so harsh.

Appearance

Despite their common belonging to legumes, chickpeas and mung bees are somewhat different in the botanical description:

Chickpeas	Mash
Annual with upright pubescent stem 20–70 cm high. Numerous unpaired leaves have an oval shape. Stem root, up to 1.5 m long.	Annual with a stem root, up to 1.6 m high. The foliage is large, with a wavy edge, dark green in color. Three-blade sheet plates.
In July - August it blooms with white, lilac, blue or pink flowers. A flower basket consists of several petals in the shape of a sail.	Flower buds appear in July, the petals are lemon yellow, in the shape of a curved fan.
Pods with fruits of bright green color, voluminous, but short, 1-3 grains each. The surface of raw grains is rough, depending on the variety, pale cream, greenish or brown. The shape resembles a hazelnut, with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm.	The length of narrow pods is 5–10 cm; from 9 to 12 peas ripen in them. Seeds are oval, green, about 5 mm in diameter.

Chemical characteristics

The chemical composition of both products is practically the same - both contain small amounts of fatty Omega-3 and Omega-6 acids, useful for the body.

You will be interested to learn how to germinate mung bean at home.

Legumes are rich in such elements:

Characteristic	Chickpeas	Mash
Vitamins	B2, riboflavin B5, pantothenic acid to B6, pyridoxine B9, folic acid to	B1, thiamine B2, riboflavin B4, choline B5, pantothenic acid B6, pyridoxine B9, folic acid
Minerals	Potassium Calcium Silicon Magnesium Sulfur Phosphorus Iron Manganese Copper Molybdenum Selenium Zinc	Same as chickpea
Calories (per 100 g) Squirrels Fats Carbohydrates	309 kcal 20.1 g 4.32 g 46.16 g	300 kcal 23.5 g 2 g 46 g

Taste characteristics

Boiled chickpea tastes like peas mixed with peanut butter. Raw sprouted beans look like hazelnuts. Mash in sprouted form has a taste close to young green peas. Its grains are just as juicy. When boiled, the seed structure becomes creamy, similar to mashed beans with a nutty aftertaste.

Did you know? Acacia, which everyone knows as a honey plant, also belongs to the legume family.

Benefit and harm

Given the almost identical composition of both products, we can say with confidence that their beneficial properties are identical. Just like other legumes - lentils, beans, beans, peas and soybeans, these crops are a source of high quality protein. Chickpea and mung bean dishes fill the body with energy, which is especially useful for athletes or people with hard physical work.

In eastern countries, special ointments are made from chickpea flour, which treat burns, scabies and skin inflammations. Legumes normalize blood glucose and cholesterol levels, helping diabetics. Potassium and magnesium support the work of the heart muscle. Iron in the composition of the products prevents anemia, is involved in the production of red blood cells. Vitamins of group B and PP are the main participants in hematopoiesis.

The presence of fiber in a plant product helps digestion, cleansing the body of undigested food residues, toxins and toxins. Beans have a positive effect on the microflora of the stomach and intestines, regulating the secretion of gastric juice. Despite the high calorie content, with the use of chickpea and mash dishes, you can lose weight, since saturation is possible from a small portion.

Important! Drinking dishes with water or other drinks is not advisable: flatulence and a feeling of heaviness are possible.

Beans, especially sprouts, stimulate the brain, improve memory function, concentration. Both products are useful for the central nervous system: thanks to vitamins and minerals, neural connections of nerve cells are strengthened, sleep is normalized, and the state of anxiety passes.

There are no special contraindications to the use of legumes, except for allergies. With caution and preferably after consultation with the attending physician, their patients with blood disease, gout should be consumed. To avoid discomfort and digestive problems, after eating chickpea or mash dishes, it is not advisable to eat anything for 4 hours.

Cooking features

Chickpeas are prepared for a long time: before making any dish, it needs to be soaked for about 10-12 hours. After this, Turkish peas are boiled for another 1.5–2 hours until soft, and only then you can make mashed potatoes or pasta, serve as a side dish. Peas are cooked and stewed, fried in batter and canned, ground into flour for baking, and added to soups. In addition, it is germinated and added to various vitamin dishes of vegetarian cuisine.

Find out if chickpeas can be given while breastfeeding.

Beans are combined with various ingredients, including:

• vegetables;
• meat and fish;
• rice and pasta;
• mushrooms;
• Cheeses
• nuts.

The most popular chickpea snacks are hummus and falafel, pasta options with different spices and ingredients. The difference in the preparation of the mash is significant: it does not need to be soaked - in 40-50 minutes after the heat treatment it will be ready. Mash is also an ingredient in many first and second courses, salads and snacks. In cooking, they use both mash flour and starch.

Mung go well with cereals, meat and vegetables. The world famous for Chinese noodles from the specified product called "funchose". In Asian cuisine, it is deep-fried, thick soups are prepared from it and served with seafood. Ideal spices for the product are ginger and garlic.

Important! Chickpeas, unlike masha, are a heavier product for digestion, so pediatricians do not recommend giving it to children under 3 years old.

As for food and culinary qualities, chickpeas and mung bean are almost the same. There is a slight difference between cultures in the botanical description, but they bring the same benefit to the body, so you definitely need to use them.