On Food and Cooking

show the embryo. The hilum is a small pore
through which water can pass directly to the
embryo; it and the seed coat control the rate
at which dry beans and peas absorb water and
soften during cooking.
It turns out that soybeans contain storage
forms of several phenolic compounds called
isoflavones, which are liberated by the action
of our intestinal bacteria as active compounds
(genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) that
resemble the human hormone estrogen. The
active forms are therefore referred to as
“phytoestrogens” (from the Greek phyton,
“leaf”). Mung beans and other legumes also
contain isoflavones, but in much smaller
quantities. (Of commonly eaten soy foods, the
boiled whole beans contain by far the greatest
concentration of isoflavones, about double the
amount found in tofu.) Phytoestrogens do
appear to have hormone-like and other effects
on the human body. There’s evidence that
they may slow bone loss and the development