How to buy good dried pulses: origin, size, uniformity, skin and age
A good dried pulse is not chosen simply because it is large, attractive or expensive. Variety, origin, age, uniformity and skin condition help predict how…
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Pulses
Guides to dried and cooked pulses covering soaking, cooking times, storage, digestibility and nutrition. We bring together specific answers about chickpeas, lentils and beans, as well as comparisons of protein, iron, fibre and other nutrients. You will also find explanations of soaking water, bicarbonate, hard water, pressure cooking and why skins sometimes split during cooking. This category is designed to understand pulses from a practical and technical perspective without turning every question into a recipe: how to buy, prepare, store and compare them with confidence.
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- Do lentils need soaking? How long, and when it is worth doing
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39 articlesArticles about Pulses
Why some pulses have thinner skins than others: variety, growing, storage and cooking
The sensation of a 'thin skin' in a pulse does not come from one factor. Variety genetics matter greatly, but growing conditions, storage, soaking and…
Read the articleNew-crop vs stored pulses: what changes as dry beans, chickpeas and lentils age
See how crop age and storage affect soaking, cooking time, hard-to-cook defects and culinary quality in dry chickpeas, lentils and beans.
Read the articleSpanish pulse PDOs and PGIs: which protected names exist and what they guarantee
A guide to Spanish PDO and PGI beans, fabes, lentils and chickpeas: protected names, product specifications, origin controls and what the logos do not guarantee.
Read the articleOrganic vs conventional pulses: what actually changes
What organic certification actually changes for pulses, from farming rules and controls to origin, residues, nutrition and flavour claims.
Read the articleFrom field to bag: how dry pulses are cleaned, sorted and graded
What happens after chickpeas, lentils and beans are harvested: cleaning, screening, size grading, density separation, optical sorting, drying, packing and traceability.
Read the articleDry pulse calibre: what seed size means and whether bigger is better
How chickpea, lentil and bean calibre is measured, what size changes in soaking and cooking, and why a larger seed is not automatically better.
Read the articleTypes of lentils: pardina, castellana, beluga, red and other varieties
Pardina, castellana, beluga, green, red and yellow lentils explained by size, seed coat, texture, cooking behaviour and best uses.
Read the articleTypes of chickpeas: pedrosillano, castellano, lechoso and other Spanish types
Pedrosillano, castellano and lechoso chickpeas compared by size, skin, soaking and texture, with the role of Spanish protected origins explained.
Read the articleTypes of Spanish beans: white, speckled, canela, fabes, judiones and more
A guide to white, speckled and canela beans, fabes, judiones and protected Spanish varieties, with differences in size, skin, texture and cooking.
Read the articleIs legume protein complete? Amino acids and how to combine them
Legumes contain all essential amino acids, although some are present in relatively lower proportions. We explain what “complete protein” means, which amino acids tend to…
Read the articleLentils vs chickpeas: nutritional differences
A like-for-like comparison of cooked lentils and chickpeas per 100 grams: protein, fibre, iron, folate, fat and calories, with context on which differences matter and…
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