Which cuisine uses chickpeas in salads, soups, stews, and curries?

Indian cuisine uses chickpeas in salads, soups, stews, and curries.

Chickpeas are especially important in the Indian subcontinent, where they appear as whole pulses, split dals, and flour. Northern Indian cooking commonly uses chickpeas in dishes such as chana masala, while chickpea flour, called besan, is used for batters, fritters, sweets, and savory snacks. Regional traditions determine whether the chickpeas are simmered, roasted, ground, or combined with vegetables and spices.

The ingredient is known by several names, including chana and chole. Desi chickpeas are particularly common in South Asia, and their smaller seeds can be hulled and split to make chana dal. Chickpeas also provide a useful plant protein in vegetarian cuisines, where they may accompany rice, flatbreads, or other pulses.

The other options are not the canonical answer to this wording. Chickpeas do occur in Swedish, Peruvian, and Japanese cooking, but the broad, well-established use across salads, soups, stews, and curries points to Indian cuisine.