they puff and the seed coat can be rubbed off.
Characteristics of Some
common Legumes
Fava or Broad Beans The fava bean or broad
bean, Vicia faba, is the largest of the
commonly eaten legumes, and was the only
bean known to Europe until the discovery of
the New World. It apparently originated in
west or central Asia, and was among the
earliest domesticated plants. Larger cultivated
forms have been found in Mediterranean sites
dating to 3000 BCE. There are several sizes,
the largest of which seems to have been
developed in the Mediterranean region around
500 CE. China is the world’s largest producer.
Fava beans are unusual in having a thick,
tough seed coat that’s often removed from
both the meaty cotyledons of the unripe green
seeds and from the hard dry seeds. A
blanching in alkaline water loosens and