2016 is the UAE’s Year of Reading, a leap year, the year of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio – and the year of the pulse.

The 68^th UN General Assembly made the designation, with the aim of increasing awareness about the importance of pulses, both as a sustainable food source and a good source of nutrition.

The UN has targeted further global production of pulses, the optimisation in crop rotation of the food source and addressing the challenges in their trade between nations.

So what are pulses and why are they so important? Pulses are leguminous crops that include grains and seeds of varying sizes, shapes and colours.

Popular kinds you can find in the supermarket and on your plate include lentils, peas, beans and chickpeas, all of which are common ingredients in many dishes and cuisines here in the capital.

An important source of plant-based protein, the food can play a vital part in a healthy diet and can help to decrease obesity and chronic illnesses such as diabetes – which is prevalent in the region.

What’s your favourite way to eat them? Hummous? Daal? Three bean salad? Share your thoughts and recipes with us through @AbuDhabiWeek on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.