Did you know that Pigeon Pea, a native of Indian subcontinent, popularly known as Toor Dal or Arhar Dal or Togari bele since atleast from last 8000 years, is botanical food pulse Cajanus cajan that unites all of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Tripura to Gujarat?

Pigeon pea or Tuar dal or Togari bele

Did you know that Pigeon Pea, a native of Indian subcontinent, popularly known as Toor Dal or Arhar Dal or Togari bele since atleast from last 8000 years, is botanical food pulse Cajanus cajan that unites all of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Tripura to Gujarat?

Did you know that the pigeon pea is the first seed legume plant to have its complete genome sequenced with the sequencing first accomplished by a group of 31 Indian scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research?

Pigeon pea or Tuar dal or Togari bele, a perennial legume, a very drought-resistant crop, is the most popular dal or pulse in the south of India. It is a perennial legume from the Fabaceae family, its presumptive closest wild relative, is Cajanus cajanifolia that occurs in tropical deciduous woodlands and its cultivation has been documented. The name Pigeon pea originated when the pulse travelled from India to east Africa and west Africa and Europe in the 17th century. Since its domestication in India its seeds have become a common food in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Its name as 'Pigeon pea' is attrbuted to its use as pigeon fodder in Barbados. The scientific name for the genus Cajanus and the species cajan derive from the Malay word katjang meaning legume in reference to the bean of the plant.

In India, piegon peas or Cajanus cajanifolia is known as Arhar in Hindi but the southern Toor has been widely accepted as Archaeological finds of pigeon pea cultivation dating to about 14th century BC have been found at the Neolithic sites of Sanganakallu in Kalaburagi and its border area Tuljapur. From India it may have made its way to North-East Africa via Trans-Oceanic Bronze Age trade that allowed cross-cultural exchange of resources and agricultural products. Its vernacular names in India are: Tubarika, Tuvari, Adhaka in Sanskrit; Arharअरहर or Tuvar तुवर in Hindi; Togari bele ತೊಗರಿ ಬೆಳೆ or Togari kalu ತೊಗರಿ ಕಾಳು in Kannada; Tomarepagaru in Kerala; Tuverni dal in Gujarati; Tuvara parippu in Malayalam; Author dal in Bengali; Rohor dal in Assamaese; Harada dal in Oriya; Thuvaramparuppu in Tamil; Kandulu, Kadulu in Telugu. It travelled from India to east Africa and west Africa and Europe in the 17th century and as pigeon pea. However, Tur Dal has two epicenters of genetic diversity in both Africa and India, but India is considered to be its primary center of origin with West Africa being considered a second major center of origin. 

Pigeon peas as an annual variety is more suitable for seed production, while in a perennial variety, the crop can last three to five years (although the seed yield drops considerably after the first two years. World production of pigeon peas is estimated at 4.49 million tons.of which about 63% comes from India, as Tur dal or Tuar dal.

Piegon plant is a a small erect shrub with Trifoliolate,lanceolate leaves. The leaflets are green above and a silvery grey-green beneath and are covered on their lower surfaces in small yellow glands. Its flower is Unisexual, Yellow and papilionaceous in colour and composition. The fruits are straight or sickle type, with seeds measuring 4-9 mm x 3-8 mm can be white, brown, purplish, black or mottled;, the fruitng season is from August to December. Split pigeon peas are the end product after dehulling. Large-scale commercial dehulling of large quantities of pigeon pea into its deskinned, split version, known as toor dal in Hindi, is done in mechanically operated mills.

Chemical constituent investigations have indicated that Cajanus cajan leaves are rich in flavonoids and stilbenes. Pigeon peas contain high levels of protein and the important amino acids methionine, lysine, and tryptophan.

Pigeon peas are both a food crop (dried peas, flour, or green vegetable peas) and a forage/cover crop. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced meal and hence are favored by nutritionists as an essential ingredient for balanced diets. In India, it is one of the most popular pulses, being an important source of protein in a mostly vegetarian diet. It is the primary accompaniment to rice or roti and has the status of staple food throughout the length and breadth of India. In regions where it grows, fresh young pods are eaten as a vegetable in dishes such as sambar.

In medicinal use, the health benefits of eating pigeon peas, is as a good source of protein content to control blood pressure, prevent anemia, assist in growth, in losing weight, boost energy, and as aid in immunity, healthy heart, better digestive health.

 In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced meal and hence are favored by nutritionists as an essential ingredient for balanced diets.

- Narasipur Char