Abstract
Thirteen cowpea varieties were tested for soaking rate and cooking quality. The rate of water imbibition was not related to cooking time. Cooking time varied between 41.5-135 min. Cooking resulted in losses of 5.2-69.5% for Ca, 13.9-33.3% for Mg, 12.6-22.2% for phytic acid and 45.7-63.1% for pectin. Among the chemical characteristics measured, only phytic acid content was moderately correlated with cooking time.