Why should you know broad beans? Complete information in one place

Broad bean is one of the most nutritious legumes, playfully tucking peas, for example, into your pocket.

It has beneficial effects in alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but it can also greatly help with weight loss.

Small unobtrusive grains will get you so excited about their benefits that you will want to eat them every day.

Learn about the benefits of fava beans.

What exactly is it and why eat it?

Like peas and lentils, broad beans are among the oldest legumes in the world. It is known by many names: field bean, horse bean, horse bean, fava bean, faba bean and tic bean.

Bean seeds contain much more vegetable protein and fiber than other legumes. Therefore, fava beans are suitable for weight reduction. Studies have shown that a diet regimen based on a high intake of protein and fiber is much more effective in losing weight than the diet commonly recommended by nutritional therapists. That is, the one with a high carbohydrate content and low fat content ¹ .

One side dish in the form of boiled broad beans (usually 150 g) will provide the body with up to 27% of the daily fiber intake.

Buckwheat and its health benefits

These tiny beans can also ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This causes a decrease in the cells that produce dopamine; this results in tremors, poor body coordination and uncontrollable motor functions.

Beans contain the compound L-dopa, which the human body converts into dopamine. Medications currently used to treat Parkinson’s disease contain this very substance. Several scientific experiments have confirmed that the consumption of beans has comparable effects to standard drug treatment ⁴ .

Fava beans are also loaded with folate (folic acid), which is important for the proper development of cells and organs. It is especially crucial for fetal development during pregnancy. That is why food supplements containing folate are recommended to mothers in order to prevent problems with the development of the child’s brain and spinal cord ⁵ .

Ripe seeds contain up to 105% of the daily recommended dose. Based on research results, 200 g of beans consumed every day reduces the risk of neural tube defects in newborns by 77% ⁶ .

What is the use of bob and where to buy it?

Broad bean is mainly eaten when it is young, soft and juicy. However, for the health benefits it offers, it is also sold ripe and dried in stores, as are most legumes.

Young seeds and pods

Young beans can be eaten with pods. Usually, however, only young seeds are processed. The right time to harvest occurs when the outlines of the beans in the pod are already visible and at the same time the dividing line of the pod is still light in color. It’s worth noting that the more pods you collect, the more new ones will grow over time. Blanched can last up to three months in the freezer without damage, fresh in the fridge only one week.

The preparation of seeds for further processing is quite lengthy, but it is worth it.

1. First, the beans must be peeled from the pods.
2. Next, you need to peel the skin. It is edible, but hard and not very tasty.
3. If they are very young pieces, just squeeze each one between your fingers and the grain will slip out of the skin by itself.
4. Stubborn beans must be blanched in a ratio of at least 1.2 l of water per 200 g. If you do not know this preparation procedure, read the simple instructions .
5. Boil for 2 minutes and then cool quickly as you are used to blanching.
6. After that, each of the beans should come out of the shell without any problems.

Although it doesn’t seem like it, it’s actually very simple. Watch the video:

How to double pod broad beans

Beans prepared in this way can be used immediately in a dish, in this state they are still considered raw, even if they have been boiled during blanching. In the case of further cooking, 10 minutes of boiling is enough for the beans, with longer heat treatment they turn into an unsightly mush.

You can get young beans and pods frozen or canned in stores. In canned food, they are already peeled. Frozen ones do not need to be blanched, they are easy to peel after thawing.

In which recipes should young broad beans be included?

• For example, replace them with peas in a popular risotto recipe .

• Try the avocado spread alternative. Mash raw fava beans instead.

• Add a handful to any vegetable mix, chicken soup and salad. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

• Try the meatless goulash version. You will enjoy the bean recipe , it is not only vegan, but also nutritious and tasty.

• Lightly sautéed in butter, they are a great accompaniment to any meat.

Ripe broad bean seeds as a legume

Ripe seeds, possibly dried from the store, are processed in the same way as young ones. However, their preparation takes a little more time.

1. Beans should be soaked in water, preferably overnight.
2. You can speed up this process by boiling them for 5 minutes; then you only need to soak the seeds for 2 hours.
3. Then squeeze each bean again between your fingers to remove the brown softened skin.
4. Then you can proceed to the actual cooking; bring the water to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes until fully cooked/softened.

This cooked legume is similar in taste to chickpeas. Compared to its young version, it stores better and is available all year round. Also, even after heat treatment, it offers a higher content of protein, fiber and minerals.

What to cook from beans?

• In any dish with chickpeas, you can replace them with fava beans. For example, in the well-known recipe for hummus .

• Bean soup is excellent not only from classic beans, but also from broad beans. Don’t be afraid of change and definitely try it.

• In Egypt, beans are the basic ingredient for a dish called falafel. What to eat this Arabic delicacy with? Get inspired by the most famous recipes .

• A very nutritious breakfast is also prepared from them in abundance. Most often, cooked fava beans are served with fried oxeye.

• Because of their earthy and nutty taste, uncooked beans are often simply roasted and then served with wine.

Common bob and flatulence

Like other legumes, broad beans can cause bloating and gas. It contains a large amount of fiber, which the body may not be used to and therefore cannot digest it efficiently. It is advisable to include fava beans in the diet gradually, in small doses, so that digestion gets used to it.

Favism

The grains of these beans can cause favism – acute anemia. This is the case if they are eaten raw and in large quantities and in people who suffer from a lack of a specific digestive enzyme. This is a genetic predisposition, when digestion cannot break down the hemolytic substances in these beans.

Growing broad beans

Beans are planted mainly in autumn, so they are so popular because they are one of the first crops of spring. It is not only grown for human consumption, but also serves as feed for farm animals, horses and chickens. It is very hardy and will grow almost anywhere, even in cold conditions and clay soil.