Pulse is a derivation from the Latin words puls or pultis meaning 'thick soup'. Pulse crops are small but important members of the legume family, which contains over 1,800 different species. Pulse crops are the seeds of legumes that are used as food, and include peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and faba beans. Evidence of cultivation of lentils has been found in the Egyptian pyramids and dry pea seeds have been discovered in a village in Switzerland dating back to the Stone Age. Archaeological evidence suggests that peas were grown in the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia regions at least 5,000 years ago and in Britain as early as the 11th century. more... See more text