The chickpea or chick pea (Cicer arietinum) is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is also known as gram,[2][3] or Bengal gram,[3] garbanzo[3] or garbanzo bean, and sometimes known as Egyptian pea,[2] ceci, cece or chana, or Kabuli chana (particularly in northern India). Its seeds are high in protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East.