Grass pea (cicerchia)

Lathyrus spp.

legume

A small, angular, floury legume, soaked then simmered in soup, as in the Marche and Umbria.

Origin

Mediterranean and South Asia

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Soaked for a long time, water discarded, and as an occasional dish: eaten every day for months, it causes lathyrism, a paralysis of the legs. Soaking, sprouting or sourdough bring its phytates down — and release the zinc and iron they were holding.

Molecules

GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) · ProteinIn small amounts, not counted Folates (B9) · Insoluble fibersWhat slows things down Phytates

Did you know?

It is a survival plant: it grows when drought has killed everything else.