Consumption pattern of food legumes in Andhra Pradesh, South India

The consumption of four legumes was studied in Andhra Pradesh, South India. Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) was the most preferred, followed by greengram (Phaseolus aureus), chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and mung bean (Phaseolus mungo). Pigeonpea was grown by the majority of families. In general the legumes were consumed both as wholegram and split dhal. The per capita consumption of all the four legumes was very low. It was found that 50–57 percent of families did not store legumes but even when stored, the period of storage was not beyond three months. The most commonly and regularly used recipes were prepared with pigeonpea and greengram as a base. The data reveal that the availability of legumes is far below the levels recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (1968) in a large percentage of rural families of Andhra Pradesh.

Key words:

• Socio‐economic background
• legumes
• consumption pattern
• procurement
• storage practices
• popular recipes
• pigeonpea
• greengram
• chickpea
• Phaseolus spp.
• Cajanus cajan