Lathyrus sativus
Encyclopedia
Lathyrus sativus, is a legume (family Fabaceae) commonly grown for human consumption and livestock
feed in Asia
and East Africa
. It is a particularly important crop in areas that are prone to drought
and famine
, and is thought of as an 'insurance crop' as it produces reliable yields when all other crops fail.
Seed is sold for human consumption at markets in Florence
. Consumption of this pulse in Italy is limited to some areas in the middle part of the country, and is steadily declining .
Flour made from grass peas (Spanish
:almorta) is the main ingredient for the gachas
manchegas or gachas de almorta. Accompaniments for the dish vary throughout La Mancha
. This is an ancient Manchego cuisine staple, generally consumed during the cold winter months. The dish is generally eaten directly out of the pan it was cooked in, using either a spoon or a simple slice of bread.
This dish is commonly consumed immediately after removing it from the fire, being careful not to burn one's lips or tongue.
Grass pea flour is exceedingly difficult to obtain outside of Castile-La Mancha, especially in its pure form. Commercially available almorta flour is mixed with wheat flour due to the fact that grass peas are toxic if consumed in significantly large quantities for prolonged periods of time.
seed. The seeds also contain variable amounts of a neurotoxic
amino acid
β-N-Oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid
or ODAP. ODAP is considered as the cause of the disease neurolathyrism, a neurodegenerative disease that causes paralysis
of the lower body: emaciation of Gluteal muscle (buttocks). The disease has been seen to occur after famine
s in Europe (France, Spain, Germany), North Africa, South Asia
, and is still prevalent in Eritrea, Ethiopia
and Afghanistan (pan handle) when Lathyrus seed is the exclusive or main source of nutrients for extended periods. Research has shown that ODAP concentration increases in plants grown under stressful conditions, compounding the problem.
Breeding programs are underway to produce lines of L. sativus that produce less ODAP.
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
feed in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. It is a particularly important crop in areas that are prone to drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
and famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
, and is thought of as an 'insurance crop' as it produces reliable yields when all other crops fail.
Synonyms
It is also known as grass pea, blue sweet pea, chickling vetch, Indian pea, Indian vetch, white vetch, almorta or alverjón (Spain), guixa (Catalonia), chícharos (Portugal), cicerchia (Italy), guaya (Ethiopia), and khesari (India).Uses
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. Consumption of this pulse in Italy is limited to some areas in the middle part of the country, and is steadily declining .
Flour made from grass peas (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
:almorta) is the main ingredient for the gachas
Gachas
Gachas is an ancestral basic dish from central and southern Spain. Its main ingredients are flour, water, olive oil, garlic and salt.- Origin :Gachas are based on a very ancient Iberian flour-based staple food preparation....
manchegas or gachas de almorta. Accompaniments for the dish vary throughout La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities...
. This is an ancient Manchego cuisine staple, generally consumed during the cold winter months. The dish is generally eaten directly out of the pan it was cooked in, using either a spoon or a simple slice of bread.
This dish is commonly consumed immediately after removing it from the fire, being careful not to burn one's lips or tongue.
Grass pea flour is exceedingly difficult to obtain outside of Castile-La Mancha, especially in its pure form. Commercially available almorta flour is mixed with wheat flour due to the fact that grass peas are toxic if consumed in significantly large quantities for prolonged periods of time.
Seed ODAP characteristics
Like other grain legumes, L. sativus produces a high-proteinProtein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
seed. The seeds also contain variable amounts of a neurotoxic
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
β-N-Oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid
Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid
Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid is the neurotoxin responsible for lathyrism.-See also:* β-Methylamino-L-alanine, a related toxin...
or ODAP. ODAP is considered as the cause of the disease neurolathyrism, a neurodegenerative disease that causes paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
of the lower body: emaciation of Gluteal muscle (buttocks). The disease has been seen to occur after famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
s in Europe (France, Spain, Germany), North Africa, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, and is still prevalent in Eritrea, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Afghanistan (pan handle) when Lathyrus seed is the exclusive or main source of nutrients for extended periods. Research has shown that ODAP concentration increases in plants grown under stressful conditions, compounding the problem.
Breeding programs are underway to produce lines of L. sativus that produce less ODAP.