Also called horse bean, broad bean, or field bean. This is the original bean of European history.
Other beans
- Lablab purpureus (syn. Dolichos lablab) Lablab bean, Hyacinth bean
- Cicer arietinum Chickpea, Garbanzo bean, or Bengal gram
- Canavalia ensiformis Jack bean, Sword bean
- Pachyrhizus spp Yam bean, Jicama
- Psophocarpus tetragonolobus Winged bean
- Stizolobium spp Velvet bean
- Cyamopsis tetragonoloba Guar or Cluster bean
- Cajanus cajan Pigeon pea, cajan pea, Congo bean
- Macrotyloma uniflorum (syn. Dolichos biflorus) Horse gram
Cultural aspects
The following traditional uses of beans refer to the fava bean. In ancient Greece and Rome, beans were used in voting (a white bean meant yes and a black bean meant no) and as a food for the dead, such as during the annual Lemuria festival. In some folk legends, such as in Estonia and the common Jack and the Beanstalk story, magical beans grow tall enough to bring the hero to the clouds. The Grimm Brothers collected a story in which a bean splits its sides laughing at the failure of others. Dreaming of a bean is sometimes said to be a sign of impending conflict, though others said they caused bad dreams. Pliny claimed they acted as a laxative. European folklore also claims that planting beans on Good Friday or during the night-time is good luck.
In English usage, bean is used to denote energy and activity, such as the idiom "full of beans". To "spill the beans" means to give out a secret.
See also
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