and so cook fairly quickly, in 10 to 30
minutes. They’re also sweeter than the dried
beans. Peas, lima beans, cranberry beans, and
soybeans (edamame) are the legumes most
commonly eaten fresh.
Whole dried beans and peas can take an
hour or two to cook, much longer than the
dried grains. This is due in part to their larger
size, but also to the effectiveness of their seed
coat at controlling the absorption of water,
which is necessary for softening the cell walls
and starch. Initially water can enter only
through the hilum, the little pore on the
curved back of the bean. After 30–60 minutes
in cool water (more quickly in hot), the seed
coat has become fully hydrated and expanded.
From this point on, most of the water flowing
into the bean passes across the entire seed
coat surface, but the rate of flow is still
limited. Legumes whose hulls have been
removed — split peas, many Indian dals —
cook more quickly and disintegrate into a
barry
(Barry)
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