Do you have a pulse ?

What are Pulses? - Pulses

It always struck me as odd that pulses should have their own category, because when they are listed they are sometimes referred to as peas or beans.

"The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognizes 11 types of pulses: dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, chickpeas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, Bambara beans, vetches, lupins and pulses nes (not elsewhere specified – minor pulses that don’t fall into one of the other categories)."

The Puerto Ricans are certainly no stranger to pigeon peas. They have a dish, Arroz con Gandules, that features these pulses along with rice. There are even vegetarian/vegan versions of the recipe. I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like it.

I'm reminded of why I consider this collection of information to be important. From time to time I dabble with the notion of going back to vegetarianism. I suspect that if/when I do, I will probably be somewhat secretive about it. I will wait until all the cans of fish are consumed. I doubt I would go vegan since I do like my eggs and cheese, but I certainly don't need to eat animal flesh with every meal.

Each legume carried a signature of nutrition in terms of amino acids, carbohydrate value, and mineral, elemental, or electrolyte content. It's important to know when the consumer attempts to consume complete protein at some point or throughout the day. (I make the distinction because nutritional science has granted that complete proteins are not nutritionally essential with each and every meal. You wind up with a balance of sorts at the end of the day!