Arhar

Pigeon pea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Cajanus
Species:	C. cajan
Binomial name
Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.

Pigeon Peas, immature, raw

Pigeon peas in Trinidad and Tobago
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	569 kJ (136 kcal)
Carbohydrates	23.88 g
Sugars	3 g
Dietary fiber	5.1 g
Fat	1.64 g
Protein	7.2 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)	(35%) 0.4 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	(14%) 0.17 mg
Niacin (B3)	(15%) 2.2 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	(14%) 0.68 mg
Vitamin B6	(5%) 0.068 mg
Folate (B9)	(43%) 173 μg
Choline	(9%) 45.8 mg
Vitamin C	(47%) 39 mg
Vitamin E	(3%) 0.39 mg
Vitamin K	(23%) 24 μg
Minerals
Calcium	(4%) 42 mg
Iron	(12%) 1.6 mg
Magnesium	(19%) 68 mg
Manganese	(27%) 0.574 mg
Phosphorus	(18%) 127 mg
Potassium	(12%) 552 mg
Sodium	(0%) 5 mg
Zinc	(11%) 1.04 mg
Link to USDA Database entry Values for Choline, Vit. E/K available
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Pigeon peas, mature, raw

Seeds of the pigeon pea
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,435 kJ (343 kcal)
Carbohydrates	62.78 g
Sugars	n/a
Dietary fiber	15 g
Fat	1.49 g
Protein	21.7 g
Tryptophan	212 mg
Threonine	767 mg
Isoleucine	785 mg
Leucine	1549 mg
Lysine	1521 mg
Methionine	243 mg
Cystine	250 mg
Phenylalanine	1858 mg
Tyrosine	538 mg
Valine	937 mg
Arginine	1299 mg
Histidine	774 mg
Alanine	972 mg
Aspartic acid	2146 mg
Glutamic acid	5031 mg
Glycine	802 mg
Proline	955 mg
Serine	1028 mg
Hydroxyproline	0 mg
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)	(56%) 0.643 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	(16%) 0.187 mg
Niacin (B3)	(20%) 2.965 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	(25%) 1.266 mg
Vitamin B6	(22%) 0.283 mg
Folate (B9)	(114%) 456 μg
Choline	(0%) 0.000000 mg
Vitamin C	(0%) 0 mg
Vitamin E	(0%) 0.000000 mg
Vitamin K	(0%) 0.000000 μg
Minerals
Calcium	(13%) 130 mg
Iron	(40%) 5.23 mg
Magnesium	(52%) 183 mg
Manganese	(85%) 1.791 mg
Phosphorus	(52%) 367 mg
Potassium	(30%) 1392 mg
Sodium	(1%) 17 mg
Zinc	(29%) 2.76 mg
Link to USDA Database entry Values for Choline, Vit. E/K unavailable
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

The pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a perennial legume from the family Fabaceae. Since its domestication in India at least 3,500 years ago, its seeds have become a common food grain in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is consumed on a large scale mainly in south Asia and is a major source of protein for the population of that subcontinent.

The pigeon pea is known by numerous names with different etymologies, Tour Dal, tropical green pea, gungo pea in Jamaica, toor or arhar in India, red gram, and gandule bean.

The cultivation of the pigeon pea goes back at least 3,500 years. The centre of origin is probably peninsular India, where the closest wild relatives (Cajanus cajanifolia) occur in tropical deciduous woodlands. Archaeological finds of pigeon pea dating to about 3400 years ago (14th century BC) have been found at Neolithic sites in Karnataka (Sanganakallu) and its border areas (Tuljapur Garhi in Maharashtra and Gopalpur in Orissa) and also the south Indian states such as Kerala, where it is called Tomara Payaru. From India it traveled to East Africa and West Africa. There, it was first encountered by Europeans, so it obtained the name Congo Pea. By means of the slave trade, it came to the American continent, probably in the 17th century.

Today, pigeon pea is widely cultivated in all tropical and semitropical regions of both the Old and the New Worlds. Pigeon peas can be of a perennial variety, in which the crop can last three to five years (although the seed yield drops considerably after the first two years), or an annual variety more suitable for seed production.