Most Americans regard legumes with unassuming disdain, yet our southern neighbors

adore beans, this top dog of legumes. The Depression probably had a lot to do with their

unpopularity. Many people survived on beans when they could not afford to buy anything else,

and even though that was several generations ago, beans are still considered a poor substitute for

the real thing, meat, in many American households. The only cuisines that often feature them are

Hispanic, vegetarian and some Asian. With the immense popularity of southwestern cooking,

and the push to eat a healthier diet, more beans are finding their way into cooking pots and onto

dinner plates in American and Canadian dining. In 1997, Americans ate 7.8 pounds (3.5 kilo) of

dry beans annually per person, predominantly in the southern and western parts of the country.

World Consumption of Common Beans

(appr. 1995)

Latin America

Africa

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Asia

Middle East

North America

46.4%

24.3%

6.3%

7.0%

4.5%

4.0%

7.5%

All legumes belong to a single plant family Leguminosae. It is a huge family with at least

16,000 known species. We eat only 20 of these commonly, but there are scores of other varieties,

each one popular in different parts of the world.

Humans have cultivated legumes almost forever—they are easy to cultivate and they

survive under poor conditions. Lentils are the oldest, and their history goes back 9000 years.

Beans, peas and other members of the family are relative newcomers, only 5000 to 6000 years

old. Soybeans and mung beans are native to Asia, lentils, peas and many common beans are

native to the Near East, while peanuts (also legumes) got their start in Brazil.

Farmers often grow legumes together with cereal grains. In the field, grains and legumes

establish a symbiotic relationship just as they balance each other's nutrients in human diet.

Legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen from the air, while grains use it up. Farmers, if not

growing them together, alternate crops of beans and grains in the same field to take advantage of

this. In our diet, it is the essential amino acids (types of proteins) in both grains and legumes that

complement each other perfectly—eat them together for all your protein needs.

Legume Nutrition

Of foods of animal source, eggs and milk are the most nutritious for human consumption.

Of foods of plant source, the equivalents are nuts and seeds. Nature designed these for identical

purposes—to nurture a growing animal or plant embryo into maturity while providing complete

nutrition and energy, except water. In these foods proteins, vitamins and minerals provide full

nutritional needs, while carbohydrates and fats provide energy for growth.

Legumes are plant seeds, just like any other seeds such as sunflower seeds or caraway

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