What’s a pulse? The word “pulse” comes from the Latin word puls, meaning potage or thick soup. Pulses are the dry edible seeds of pod plants in the legume family. Pulses include field peas, dry beans, lentils and chickpeas and are high in protein and fibre and low in fat.

Pulses are unique among grain crops in their ability to partner with certain soil bacteria to take nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient, from the air and turn it into a form that can be used by plants.