The only difference is what they are called, depending on where you are. Or what cuisine you are making. Chickpea comes from the Latin word cicer, referring to the plant family of legumes, Fabaceae. It is also known by its popular Spanish-derived name, the garbanzo bean. Although the use of the word "Hummus" has become synonymous with any dip that uses any type of legume, the actual Arabic translation for chickpea is hummus. Therefore, any puree made from other than chickpeas is not really hummus at all, it's simply a vegetable puree. True Hummus can only be made from chickpeas.