ABSTRACT
Grass pea is an annual herb with white, pink, red, purple, or blue §owers, growing as a suberect, creeping, or climbing vine, typically from 0.6 to 1 m (2-3 ft.) in length, but forms are known that reach 9 m (30 ft.). The pods are §at, 2.5 to 5 cm (1-2 in.) in length, with three to six seeds. The seeds are often white, brownish-gray, or light cream in color and may also be speckled with black. The seeds are distinctively wedge shaped, and range in size from 3 to 7 mm (1/8-1/4 in.) in diameter. The exact area of origin of grass pea is uncertain, probably the Mediterranean area and/or western Asia. The use of grass pea for human food may date back 8000 years in the region of the Balkan Peninsula. From the eastern Mediterranean, grass pea was taken to Europe (where it may well have been one of the rst domesticated crops), Africa, and Asia. It has been grown for thousands of years in parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia, but at present is a major food crop of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ethiopia. Grass pea is raised by several hundred million farmers in the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa. In India, 2 million ha (5 million acres) of grass pea are under cultivation. Grass pea is also widely used as a fodder crop in parts of south-central Europe as well as Africa and Asia. The plant is exceptionally able to withstand drought and as a result is often the cheapest or only food available to the poor. Moreover, the seeds contain approximately 25% protein and are often the only protein available in poor regions. This is the source of an extreme health problem called lathyrism, described in the next section.
