Chickpeas are legumes of the family, Fabaceae, and they are one of the oldest legumes to be cultivated by humans. They are large roundish legumes with a bumpy surface. There are two commercial classes of chickpea: Desi and Kabuli. The desi type has a thick, coloured seed coat and a coloured flower. The kabuli type (also known as garbanzo bean) has a thin, white seed coat and a white flower.

The Kabuli variety is relatively bigger in size then other varieties It is grown in temperate and sub-tropical regions. Kabuli Chickpeas are mainly used in salad bars, soups, snack food, vegetable mixes, or ground into hummus. It is widely used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

Chick Peas cultivating states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.