Pulse is a collective name for a wide range of dried peas, beans and lentils. Although there are thousands of species of beans and peas, they tend to have very similar characteristics. They are high in complex carbohydrates and fibre, low in fat, and contain about 25% protein (more than eggs, fish or flesh foods), earning them the term 'poor man's meat. When cooked, they have a simple, earthy taste and a robust, filling quality.
The term 'pulse' originates from the ancient Roman word 'puls', meaning pottage, a thick stew. Our growing interest in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking has also brought Eastern species to our shelves, along with the word 'gram', which is one of the collective names for dried beans and peas: for example, green gram (mung bean) and Bengal gram (chickpea). Dhal is used to refer to pulses that have been stripped of their outer hulls and then split, which makes them easier to cook and digest.
All pulses should be cleaned and sorted before cooking, so that any foreign matter or chipped or shrivelled examples may be discarded. Most dried pulses (other than lentils, mung beans and split peas) need soaking for several hours before they can be cooked, and some, such as the ked kidney bean, must be boiled for at least 10 minutes to destroy a naturally occurring toxin found in the bean before they are then slow cooked. Canned pulses are already soaked and cooked and so only need rinsing and draining before heating.
Also included in this section is soya, a bean that is not usually grown to cook and eat as it is, but rather for its many protein products, some of which include soya milk, soy sauce, tofu and miso.
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