Fava beans

Broad beans in history

It is said that - among the legumes - broad beans are the least caloric of all; as for lentils and beans, also broad beans have acquired a leading role in ancient times as the food of the poor par excellence, considering their low cost and easy availability.

The broad bean plant is native to Asia Minor and has been extensively cultivated for human and animal nutrition (fodder) for centuries.

Currently, broad beans are widely consumed in Italian tables, particularly in the Apulian, Sicilian and Sardinian regions.

Botanical analysis

In the botanical nomenclature, broad beans are known as Vicia faba L. o Faba vulgaris, and belong to the family of Fabaceae: this is an annual herbaceous plant, capable of reaching 70-140 centimeters in height. The plant has an erect and thick stem, with a quadrangular section and very branched at the base; the root is taproot and shows numerous ramifications. The growth of the broad bean plant is attributable to that of a giant green bean, with a fleshy and cylindrical pod.
Inside the pod, with an average length of about 20 cm, are the yellowish-brownish seeds, flat, oval, large and pulpy; the leaves, pinnate-compound and stipulated, are made up of groups of 2-6 smaller leaflets .

Generality

There are numerous varieties of broad bean, cataloged mainly on the basis of the size of the seed: in fact, there are not only garden beans (with a 25 cm pod with seeds as large as a "crushed olive).
There broad beans (equine Pers) is mainly used for animal feed: we are talking about a very particular variety of broad beans, in which a single pod can weigh up to 700-1,000 grams.
Even the field bean (minor Beck) is a very impressive variety of broad beans: a pod can contain even 1,000 seeds and weigh 700 grams. As for the broad bean, the field bean is also used as a fodder.

Food uses

Broad beans can be eaten cooked or raw, and are sold both dried and fresh.
After removing the integument that wraps the beans, they can be dried, therefore stored for longer times than fresh ones. The dried broad beans deprived of the integument they do not require preventive soaking times, typical of dried beans or lentils: they are in fact dipped in boiling water directly, or steamed. The final result is a sort of purée, an excellent accompaniment for vegetables with a bitter aftertaste (eg chicory). The dried broad beans with the integument, unlike the previous ones, they require a few hours of soaking before cooking.
Fresh broad beans can be eaten plain or used with bread, cold cuts or cheeses.
Canned and frozen beans are widely sold on the market, clearly much more practical than dried ones.

Nutritional principles and properties

Compared to beans, broad beans are qualitatively superior in protein terms (although quantitatively lower): these legumes contain approximately 5% protein, 5% fiber, 4.5% carbohydrates and very little fat ( 0.4%); the remaining 84% consists of water.
The beans are rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, selenium and many vitamins, especially ascorbic acid: it is important to remember that with the cooking of the beans, as for all legumes, most of the vitamins and mineral salts are lost. . Even the drying process alters the vitamin and mineral component. Due to the richness in iron, it seems that the consumption of broad beans is useful for counteracting anemia.
The dried leaves of broad beans are used in herbal medicine as a natural remedy to stimulate diuresis.



Broad bean pesto (Marò)

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Broad beans and related problems

1. Broad beans are potential enemies of the immune system: in sensitive and predisposed subjects, the consumption of broad beans can trigger an allergic reaction which, in the most serious cases, can induce a coma. In general, allergies are caused by the consumption of raw beans: in fact, cooking reduces the risk.
2. Broad beans should not be consumed concomitantly with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs): the levodopa contained in broad beans is converted into dopamine in the "body. The association of broad beans with dopamine - a" vasoactive amine - can cause hypotensive crises of various entities, sometimes mortal.
3. In sensitive and predisposed subjects, the consumption of broad beans (and other particular substances, such as analgesic drugs, salicylates, some chemotherapy drugs, etc.), even if minimal, triggers a cascade of reactions in the organism that inevitably lead to acute hemolysis with jaundice. Favism is a hereditary pathology in which the affected subject registers the lack of the G6PD enzyme, involved in the biogenetic pathway of pentose-phosphates.

Broad beans and levodopa

Especially in recent years, broad beans are increasingly in demand because apparently miraculous news is being divulged and propagated: broad beans are a source of levodopa, the drug of choice in the fight against Parkinson's disease.

Indeed, it has been shown that the entire broad bean plant (leaves, stem, pod, seeds) contains levodopa: what must be taken into consideration is that the amount of substance varies greatly from species to species, from the characteristics of the soil, from environmental factors, etc.
Anyway, there are no reliable studies or irrefutable demonstrations on the effect of levodopa contained in beans in the treatment of Parkinson's. However, the fact is that some patients with this severe neurodegenerative disease have achieved good results following frequent and regular consumption of beans. Other authors are confident and hopeful: they believe, in fact, that the seeds contain not only levodopa, but also other substances capable of enhancing its effect.
What science fails to understand is why only some patients respond positively to the "cure" with beans; for others, in fact, the effect is almost in vain. [information taken from the writings of Kathrynne Holden, dietician]
In any case, in the case of Parkinson's disease, it is always essential to consult a doctor before embarking on a diet rich in beans.

Broad beans in brief "

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