Pulses

World Pulses Day is no fly-by-night marketing campaign - February 10th was designated by the UN as an annual celebration following the 2016 International Year of Pulses.

Cooking pulses (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas...) is fundamentally about getting water and heat into them so they're tender, digestible and delicious.

In our work at Hodmedod we celebrate and enjoy pulses every day of the year, but World Pulses Day is an opportunity to step back and consider the wider picture. Pulses really can play a crucial role in mitigating the global challenges of poverty, food security and nutrition, human health, and soil health.

Jenny Linford's book The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour explores the critical part that time plays in food production and cooking. In this extract from the Hours chapter Jenny talks to Hodmedod co-founder Nick Saltmarsh and considers the history of the British relationship with pulses.

The first ever British Dal Festival ran in Bristol from 19th to 25th March 2018. The festival celebrated simple but sublime dals of peas, beans and lentils, alongside sister pulse dishes from Britain’s mushy peas to Mexico’s refried beans.