an Indian term which refers to pulses which are whole rather than split; the latter are called dal.
The word is of Portuguese origin, from grão (grain, from the Latin granum), but is not, as one might expect, applied to cereal grains.
The term gram by itself, without an epithet, is taken to mean chickpea (channa). Similarly, ‘gram flour’ means besan flour, which is made from chickpeas. Other kinds of gram are listed below, with references to the articles in which they are described.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
