2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Horse bean (lat. Vicia faba) - an annual from the legume family, belonging to the genus Vika.
History
A thousand years before the onset of our era, horse bean was actively cultivated in Palestine. In addition, he was highly revered by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians (the latter generally considered him sacred). And the Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of this culture. Nowadays, horse bean has gained fame as one of the most popular legumes.
It is noteworthy that Pythagoras, the great ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher, categorically did not recommend eating beans, claiming that they contain the souls of people who have gone to another world. And in some Western European countries, the bean was an indispensable attribute of such a great church holiday as the Epiphany - it was invariably placed in the dough for a festive cake. Whoever gets a piece of the surprise pie turns into a bean king for the whole day.
Description
Horse Bob is a happy owner of tetrahedral erect simple stems, the height of which can reach one and a half meters. Each plant is endowed with elliptical leaves (it has from one to three pairs). And the core roots of this culture branch rather strongly at the ends and go into the soil in depth from 0.8 to 1.5 m.
Like all other legumes, the horse bean boasts fancy moth flowers. All of them are located in the axillary racemes, are painted in pinkish or whitish tones and have a rather weak unobtrusive smell.
The horse bean fruit has the appearance of a seeded pod. All seeds enclosed in pods are slightly flattened and oval in shape. And their color can be very diverse: black, purple, brownish, purple, red, white and even spotted.
Where grows
It is currently not possible to meet this culture in the wild. But it is cultivated in a huge number of southern European countries, as well as in the United States, India and Africa. And on the territory of Russia, horse bean is grown in almost every region (except perhaps except for the Far North).
Usage
The horse bean is mainly used as a food or agricultural fodder crop. It is considered an excellent honey plant and is very rich in protein (up to 35%) and essential amino acids. Beans also boast a content of fat (from 0.8 to 1.5%), carbohydrates (up to 55%), various enzymes, as well as valuable minerals and vitamins.
Since ancient times, horse bean has firmly settled in the cuisines of different peoples (Danes, Dutch, British, Bulgarians, Belgians, etc.) - it is used especially actively in cooking. But that's not all - this plant is also highly valued in folk medicine, and absolutely any part of it can be used for medicinal purposes. Horse bean seeds have a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and astringent effect, and infusions and decoctions prepared from its valves help alleviate the condition of those suffering from diabetes.
The beans ground into flour are used for severe coughing, as well as for various ailments of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver. However, mashed boiled beans are just as helpful. And beans boiled in milk are applied to abscesses and boils - this helps to significantly accelerate their subsequent ripening.
Decoctions with infusions are also used - they are actively used for washing. They also wipe the face to relieve irritation and itching.
Contraindications
Horse bean is far from the best food for flatulence, constipation, gout and hepatitis. So in the presence of any of the above conditions, it is better to refrain from using it.
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