On Food and Cooking

spread was probably contemporary with and
encouraged by the vegetarian doctrine of
Buddhism. They were little known in the West
until late in the 19th century, but today the
United States supplies half of the world
production, with China in fourth place after
Brazil and Argentina. However, most U.S.
soybeans feed not people but livestock, and
much of the rest are processed to make
cooking oil and a host of industrial materials.
The soybean’s many guises have been
inspired by both its great virtues and its
defects. Soybeans are exceptionally nutritious,
with double the protein content of other
legumes, a near-ideal balance of amino acids,
a rich endowment of oil, and a number of
minor constituents that may contribute to our
long-term health (p. 485). At the same time,
they’re pretty unappealing. They contain
abundant antinutritional factors and gas-
producing oligosaccharides and fiber. When
boiled in the usual way, they develop a strong