Pigeon peas have been cultivated for more than 3,000 years, likely beginning in India and then spreading to Africa, Europe, the Americas and elsewhere around the world. They not only provide a valuable food resource, but are also used as animal feed and the shrub wood as firewood. Additionally, pigeon peas are a nitrogen-fixing crop and enrich the soil, making them ideal for intercropping. Botanically, pigeon peas are part of the Fabaceae family, a perennial legume related to chickpeas, alfalfa and peanuts. Today the legume is grown commercially in many countries as a protein-rich crop, and is an important dietary staple around the world, especially in India, where the beans are dried, hulled, split and used as the popular ingredient dal. In India, they are also called arhar dal, split toor dal, red gram, thuvarai and thuvaram paruppu; in Jamaica they are known as tur or gungo peas; in Africa, the congo pea; and in Hawai’i, they are called pi nunu or pi pokoliko.