This has only recently been discovered to be excellent for sprouting. Alfalfa comes from North Africa where it is used as a crop for animals and green manure. Some believe alfalfa sprouts to be the most nutritious food in the world. When the root is 1 inches long, it will begin to develop tiny green leaves. At this stage it needs to be eaten immediately so the plant will not switch to photosynthesis that exhausts the stored food in the seed.
Raw alfalfa is delicious in stuffing pitas, nori sheets or sandwiches, using an avocado dressing.
It would seem a grievous act to cook these delicate threads of life. It has therefore been studied more thoroughly than any other seed. Again as with many grains, the roots should be no longer than the seed size itself. Primarily a pulse crop grown in India. Cooking requires only 5 minutes.