Asian martial arts experienced a surge of popularity in the west during the 1970s, and the rising demand resulted in numerous low quality or fraudulent schools. Fueled by fictional depictions in martial arts movies, this led to the ninja craze of the 1980s in the United States.
Dried, unsoaked chickpeas can cook in approximately 35 to 40 minutes in a pressure cooker. Put the beans into the cooker, pour in enough water to cover them, add in any aromatics you may want -- garlic or onions, for instance -- and stir in a tablespoon of oil for every pound of dried chickpeas.
Chickpeas have one of the longest cooking times of all beans (right up there with Red Kidney Beans and Soya Beans.) Soak overnight (or 8 hours.) Drain, then put in a pot, cover with hot water (fans say hot water, not cold), bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low, slow simmer for 3 hours. Use 4 cups (2 pints / 1 litre) of water per 1 cup (7 oz / 200g) of beans. To cook in a pressure cooker, pre-soak for 12 hours, then cook for 20 to 25 minutes. If you come across a recipe that suggests adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water, this is no longer necessary, unless your water is very hard.