Sesame Honey Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas are usually paired with salt and savory spices to create a healthy snack full of fiber and protein, but they work well with some sweetness too. Honey, legumes (the lentil and bean family, including chickpeas a.k.a garbanzo beans) and sesame seeds are foods widely used in Ayurveda, a five thousand year old wellness system derived in India meaning “the science of life”. According to Ayurvedic principles there are 3 main characteristics or doshas: vata is light and airy, pitta is strong and fiery and kapha is calm, heavy and watery. Everyone has a constitution made up of a combination of these three doshas, with stronger influence from one or two, and different times of day and seasons are characterized by a dominating dosha. Late winter and early spring belongs to kapha before pitta takes over in late spring and summer, then gives way to vata in fall and winter. Ayurveda is all about balance, so it suggests consuming foods to balance out one’s particular dosha as well as to compliment the season, and therefore weather, climate and levels of natural light.

Kapha, the stage we are in now, is affiliated with creation, new beginnings and dissolving any stagnation from the previous season. The fiber in legumes helps with digestion, which can be slowed when there is too much heaviness, a symptom of excess Kapha. During this season it is recommended to eat astringent foods, a category that legumes fall into. Honey is the only sweetener that does not increase Kapha, which needs to remain in check during Kapha season, so as not to disrupt balance. While it tastes predominantly sweet it does have a slight astringency and is also seen as beneficial for its abilities to provide instant energy and help heal tissues. However, Ayurveda preparation techniques explicitly express not cooking the honey so it is added at the end. Sesame seeds are most recommended for balancing Vata but they are used extensively for their medicinal properties. Both the seeds and oil are often consumed and the oil is good for massaging the skin when it is dry or the muscles are sore and joints are stiff.

Honey and sesame seeds is a combination that has been long been paired for sustenance with a long shelf life in civilizations besides India. In Ancient Greece they were used to create the first energy bars and Ancient Roman soldiers took biscuits made from sesame seeds mixed with honey into battle, whereas the Ancient Egyptians made it a bit more complicated adding in the honey and sesame seeds to different breads and desserts and women in Ancient Babylon ate it prepared as halva for maintaining youth and beautry. Paired with chickpeas they create a crunchy and filling snack that provides quick energy and a range of vitamins and minerals. Once cooled they can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for a week.