chickling vetch

Definitions

A plant with edible seeds similar to peas and chickpeas of species Lathyrus sativus, used as a famine food but causing lathyrism if eaten in large amounts or over a long time.

uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Lathyrus is known in English as the chickling vetch or grass pea and can be bought in very specialized Italian grocery stores as cicerchia, which fascinatingly enough have⟳ been revived in Slow Food circles as a traditional Umbrian food in danger of disappearance. They look⟳ something like⟳ chickpeas, but smaller.”

CEFR level