Mung Bean, Black Gram, Azuki
The Grams The legume genus Vigna, which is
native to the Old World, provides the small-
seeded “grams” of India and a few other Asian
and African seeds. Most of them have the
advantages of being small, quick-cooking, and
relatively free of antinutritional and
discomforting compounds. Green gram, or
mung beans, are native to India, spread early
on to China, and are now the most widely
grown of this group thanks to the popularity
of their sprouts. Black gram or urad dal is the
most prized of the legumes in India, where it
has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years
and is eaten whole, split and dehulled, and
ground into flour for cakes and breads.
Rice beans are eaten primarily in Thailand
and elsewhere in Indochina. The African
bambara groundnut resembles the peanut in
being borne underground and containing oil,
but it isn’t nearly as rich as the peanut. In