120 FOOD-GRAINS OF INDIA. 



stitutes not more than one-fourth of the daily food ; and it is still 

 further lowered when the pulse is eaten with milk, butter and eggs, 

 or with other easily digested animal foods. Even under favourable 

 circumstances the unabsorbed portion amounts to 8 per cent, of the 

 total. Of starch in pulse from 93 to 96^ per cent, may be taken 

 up, but the fat or oil is less available, except in the case of the 

 more oleaginous kinds, such as soy-beans and pea-nuts. 



Many kinds of pulse should be prepared for food by first 

 removing the seed-coats or skins of the seeds. The slow but 

 thorough cooking of the meal obtained by grinding the split seeds 

 is important. As illustrations of the various modes of preparing 

 pulse for food, the plans adopted in certain localities for treating 

 chick-peas and pigeon-peas may be cited. 



Chick-peas are thus used ; they are either 

 i. Parched and then eaten with or without oil ; or they are 

 parched and ground into coarse meal which is stirred up 

 with water, garlic, onion, or a chillie being added, 

 ii. Ground into flour and made into chapatties or sweet cakes, 

 these generally, however, containing other flours ; or the 

 flour is made into balls with water and spices, these balls 

 being then fried in oil. 



iii. Husked, split, and then boiled with condiments, 

 iv. Steeped in cold water till they swell, and then eaten either 



alone or with salt, or else fried in oil or ghi with chillies. 

 Pigeon-peas are thus used ; they are either 

 i. Parched in hot sand and eaten dry, or with salt or oil. 

 ii. Ground into flour and made into cakes, or ground into meal 



and mixed with water. 



iii. Steeped in cold water and rubbed into a paste, small pieces 

 of the fruit of Cucurbita Pepo, salt, carminative seeds and 

 sometimes asafcetida being added. The mass is made into 

 balls, which are dried in the sun and used in curries ; this 

 preparation seems peculiar to Behar, Patna and Purniah 

 Districts. 



iv. Boiled in about six times their bulk of water until soft, 

 condiments being then added turmeric, black pepper, 



