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Mystery of the Fava Bean

By Tony Alexander | Friday, May 30, 2008

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti,” Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal). That quote from Silence of the Lamb was perhaps the only time I remember hearing the words fava bean. I mean, I do have faint memories of eating this stuff back in the states, but don’t remember exactly how they tasted. Well, since it’s spring, and thanks to living in vegetable heaven Japan, I had another opportunity just the other day to try some. The Japanese call fava beans “SORA-MAME” and it’s a seasonal vegetable usually available around the middle of spring, and just to add a bit of snobbery, they were organically grown.

What exactly is a fava bean anyway ? It’s a “bean” and it’s grown mostly through-out Asia and Africa. But, one interesting tidbit of information that may be interesting is that people have been eating these beans for over 6000 years and is a very popular fast food item in Egypt and is enjoyed by the rich and the poor. Another fascinating thing about this bean is that its rich in L-dopa which is a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease and in some cases impotence. It’s also said that this bean treats hypertension since it’s also full of a natriuretic agent, a peptide sometimes associated with heart failure that’s usually found in the blood. This agent is also supposed to widen the arteries and increase urine flow.

These beans are a great snack because they only take 3 minutes to cook. Remove the beans from the outer covering ; add the beans into boiling water; wait three minutes; done. Remove beans (removing the second shell is optional) then add salt and enjoy, preferrably with beer and some company. There’s also another bean that’s similar to the fava bean, it’s called edameme or peas in a pod. Don’t eat those ! Eat “sora mame” because they are more flavorsome and go better with beer. Fava beans can be purchased at any supermarket in Japan.