Itchy mouth after hummus, or a rash after a falafel wrap? Chickpea is now in everything from snack crisps to gluten-free pasta, and it often shares the plate with sesame. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to chickpea, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components including sesame, lentil, pea, peanut and soy, so you can see which of them your blood reacts to.
Chickpea is a legume, in the same plant family as peanut, soy, lentil, pea and lupin. Like them, it stores protein in its seed, and those storage proteins are where most legume allergy starts.
Chickpea allergy is better known in India and around the Mediterranean, where chickpeas are a staple. With hummus, falafel and plant-based foods now everyday food in northern Europe, more people here meet chickpea several times a week.
People describe itching in the mouth, hives, swollen lips, stomach cramps or vomiting after eating chickpea, usually within minutes to two hours. Reviews also describe reactions that only happen when eating chickpea is followed by exercise.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
If hummus is your trigger, chickpea is only half the question. Hummus is made with tahini, which is sesame paste, and sesame is one of the 14 allergens EU labels must declare. Chickpea is not on that list.
Legumes also share similar proteins, so IgE to chickpea often appears next to lentil, pea, peanut or soy. Shared antibodies are common in lab results; reacting to every legume is much less common. If you have never reacted to chickpea, do not cut it out on a result alone. If you have, take the full pattern to a doctor.
The lab measures IgE to a whole chickpea extract. There are no single chickpea proteins on the panel, so the related legumes are your best context: lentil, pea, peanut and soy all have their own components. Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Yes. Both are legumes and share similar proteins, but many people are sensitised to one and not the other. The panel measures chickpea, peanut, soy, lentil and pea separately, so you see each result on its own.
It could be either, or both. Hummus contains tahini, made from sesame. The test measures chickpea and sesame in the same sample, which gives you and your doctor a clear starting point.
No. Bloating and wind after beans are common and usually come from fibre and sugars that gut bacteria ferment. An allergy involves IgE antibodies, which is what this test measures. It does not test for intolerance.
