Vigna mungo, black gram, urad bean, minapa pappu, mungo bean or black matpe bean (masa) is a bean grown in the Indian subcontinent.Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the Phaseolus to the Vigna genus. The product sold as black lentil is usually the whole urad bean, whereas the split bean(the interior being white) is called white lentil. It should not be confused with the much smaller true black lentil
Black gram originated in I ndia, where it has been in cultivation from ancient times and is one of the most highly prized pulses of India and Pakistan. It is very widely used in Punjabi cuisine and is often referred to as maah di deal in the native language by Punjabis.
