Legume
Broad Bean
Broad bean (fava bean, Vicia faba) is eaten fresh as a green vegetable-pulse and dried as a hearty winter bean. Large pods yield meaty seeds with an earthy, slightly bitter green flavour when young and a denser, nuttier character when dried. Double-podding fresh beans is optional for tenderness. Dried favas power stews, ful medames, falafel mixes, and flours across the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Also known as: Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Ful, Fava, Haba, Foul / Ful
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History
Fava beans were domesticated in the Near East among the earliest Old World pulses.
Egyptian and Mediterranean cookery fixed dried favas in breakfast stews and purees.
Broad beans became a standard British garden and field pulse for fresh and dried use.
Canned and frozen broad beans extended seasonal green fava beyond local harvests.